Some experts believe that today’s youth are postponing or minimizing their sexual engagement. Others say that youth are becoming more aware of birth control options and taking more aggressive measures to avoid conception.
Adolescent pregnancy still occurs. Most parents hope that their child will never have sex without protection, but teen pregnancy can happen in any home.
Certain risk factors, however, make certain teenagers more likely to become pregnant. As the parent of a teen or a teen who is pregnant, knowing about risk factors can help you help your child or yourself while lowering risks.
What Risks Can Teen Pregnancies Pose?
Each pregnancy and delivery is unique, and complications may occur with teen pregnancies. If problems arise, doctors can help by keeping an eye on the situation and taking action as needed.
Early and consistent prenatal care can help lower the risk of problems by letting doctors find, treat, or manage problems before they get too serious. Prenatal care can also help find mental health problems like anxiety and depression that can be caused by pregnancy.
Infection Hazard
Certain illnesses, especially sexually transmitted infections, can occur during pregnancy and delivery, causing problems for the pregnant teen, during the pregnancy, and for the baby after birth.
Some diseases can be passed from mother to child when the baby passes through the birth canal. Other diseases can infect a fetus while the mother is pregnant.
These illnesses may be avoided or managed with proper prenatal, perinatal, and postpartum care. Early prenatal testing for STIs and other diseases helps identify whether the infection is treatable with medication.
Alternatively, if you know you have an infection, notify your prenatal healthcare provider as soon as possible. Pregnancy and newborns are less likely to be endangered through early intervention. Even if medical experts cannot cure the illness, you and your doctor can take action to preserve your teen’s and infant’s health.
Developing Anemia
Anemia is a lower-than-usual amount of healthy red blood cells. Red blood cell production will be restored when the underlying cause of anemia is treated.
Women suffering from pregnancy-related anemia may experience fatigue and weakness. Teens should make changes to their diet and take supplements such as iron and folic acid to prevent anemia.
Throughout a pregnancy, most doctors will keep a close eye on your iron levels as the development of anemia is more common in teen pregnancies.
Development of Gestational diabetes
Gestational diabetes develops when a woman who did not have diabetes before pregnancy acquires it during her pregnancy. Normally, your body converts components of your food into a chemical known as glucose. Glucose is the primary source of energy in your body.
In gestational diabetes, hormonal changes during pregnancy lead the body to either not produce enough insulin or not utilize it properly. Instead, glucose accumulates in your blood, resulting in diabetes, often known as high blood sugar.
The best strategy to decrease or prevent issues linked with high blood sugar during pregnancy is to manage gestational diabetes in teen pregnancies. This is done by following a treatment plan established by a healthcare professional.
If not treated, it can lead to preeclampsia, high blood pressure, and having a big child, which raises the chance of a cesarean delivery.
Gravidarum Hyperemesis
Many pregnant teenagers experience nausea or vomiting, sometimes known as “morning sickness,” during the first few months of pregnancy.
The reason for nausea and vomiting during pregnancy is thought to be rapidly increasing levels of human chorionic gonadotropin, a hormone secreted by the placenta.
Hyperemesis gravidarum, on the other hand, happens when there is severe, continuous nausea and vomiting during pregnancy that is more severe than “morning sickness.” This might result in weight loss and dehydration, requiring thorough care, especially for young teen moms.
Premature Labor
Preterm labor is labor that starts before the 37th week of pregnancy. Any newborn delivered before 37 weeks is at a higher risk for health issues because organs such as the lungs and brain finish developing in the last weeks before a full-term birth.
Infections, a shorter cervix, and past premature deliveries raise the chance of preterm labor. Progesterone, a hormone generated naturally during pregnancy, may be helpful in preventing premature delivery.
A 2003 study headed by NICHD researchers discovered that giving progesterone to women at high risk for preterm delivery because of a previous preterm birth reduced the chance of a second preterm birth by one-third.
Conclusion
Teen Parent should remember to allow their teens to talk with their doctor alone while taking them to their yearly health checkups. Teens who are apprehensive about questioning their parents about sex or contraception may find it easier to address these issues with a medical expert, counselor, or another trusted adult.
This can significantly impact the dangers and consequences of their pregnancy, so allow them to be vocal and honest with their physicians.
Originally posted 2022-12-05 16:54:58.