Adolescent pregnancy in Australia. A hazard of early sexual intercourse

The incidence in Australia of pregnancy in women under the age of twenty years is increasing, and constitutes a major medical and social problem. The outcome of these pregnancies has changed greatly during the past decade: more unmarried teenaged mothers are keeping their babies, fewer young women are marrying because of pregnancy, and the number of adolescents undergoing induced abortion continues to rise. Some suggestions for the prevention of adolescent pregnancy are discussed in this paper.