PREGNANCY AND DELIVERY OF ADOLESCENTS
Abstract
Background. Adolescence is the period between childhood and adulthood. In adolescence a higher incidence of complications in pregnancy and during labour is noted, especially a higher number of preeclampsia, anemia, preterm labours, very low birth-weight infants and/or too small for gestational age infants. However, where antenatal care has been given more attention, the number of the above mentioned complications in the course of pregnancy and labour has in adolescents not been so high.
In the region of Pomurje there is a lot of primiparous adolescents under twenty years of age in comparison to other regions of Slovenia. In the present work I have investigated the complications in pregnancy, during labour, with newborns and the characterictics of antenatal care for adolescents.
Methods. The analysis is based on the data taken from the Perinatal Informational System of Slovenia for the six years (1987–1992). The register is uniform for the total teritory of Slovenia since 1986. The data collected are the data about the pregnancy and delivery, about post-delivery period and about the newborn. In the study group the primiparous adolescents, aged up to 19 years were included. The control group consisted of primiparas in the age group 20–34 years.
Results. The study included 3553 primiparas. There were 786 (22.1%) primiparus adolescents in the study group; and 2767 (77.9%) women aged 20–34 years in the control group. The results show that the number of labours decreased in both the study and the control group. Adolescents care less for antenatal examinations, a higher percentage of them is single and have accomplished fewer years of education. In pregnancy the incidence of anemia is higher, and the percent of intrauterine growth retardation is significantly higher in the control group. In the studygroup the onset of labour is more often spontaneous with contractions, and the number of preterm labours is higher too. Birth weight of newborns of adolescent mothers is lower, while higher mortality rate is not noted.
Conclusions. The results show that the number of deliveries in adolescents aged 15 and16 years in Pomurje has not decreased. The results also show that adolescents in this age group still represent a high risk group in pregnancy and delivery.
Downloads
References
Meden-Vrtovec H. Neplodnost. Ljubljana: Cankarjeva založba, 1989: 58–89.
World Health Organization. The reproductive health of adolescents: a strategy for action. A print WHO (UNFPA) UNICEF Statement. Geneva: World Health organisation, 1989: 7.
Benson RC. Handbook of obstetrics and gynecology. Los Altos, California: Large Medical Publications, 1980: 118–369.
Brown HL, Fan YD, Gosoulin WJ. Obstetric complications in young teenagers. Southern Medical Journal 1991; 84: 46–8.
Benthin D, Klopper E, Weitzel H. Schwangerschaft bei Jugendlichen. Z Geburtsh Perinat 1984; 188: 143–7.
Weinman ML, Smith PB, Mumford DM. Early and late entry to prevent preterm delivery in adolescents. Adolesc Pediatr Gynecol 1991; 4: 143–7.
Osbourne GK, Howat RCL, Jordan MM. The obstetric outcome of teenage pregnancy. J Obstet Gynecol 1981; 88: 215–21.
Berenson AB, San Miquel VV, Wilkinson GS. Prevalence of physical and sexual assault in pregnant adolescents. J Adolesc Health Care 1992; 13: 466–9.
Kessler Kreutner AK, Reycroft Hollingsworth D. Adolescent obstetreics and gynecology. Chicago: Year Book Medical Publishers, 1978: 3–291.
Walcher W, Tscherne G, Tamussino K. Changes in the obstetrical risk of adolescent primiparas: A comparison between 1971–75 and 1983–87. Adolesc Pediatr Gynecol 1989; 2: 221–3.
Jakobovits AA, Zubek L. The adolescent childbirth rate in Hungary. J Adolesc Health Care 1991; 12: 427–9.
Pajntar M, Verdenik I. Slovenska perinatologija v številkah za obdobje 1987–1991. Ljubljana: Klinični center Ljubljana, Ginekološka klinika. 1992: 1–98.
Scholl TO, Miller LK, Salmon RW, Shearer J. Prenatal care adequacy and the outcome of adolescent pregnancy: Effects on weight gain, preterm delivery, and birth weight. Obstet Gynecol 1987; 69: 312–6.
Zuckerman B, Alpert JJ, Dooling E. Neonatal outcome: Is adolescent pregnancy a risk factor? Pediatrecs 1983; 71: 489–93.
Sugar M. Adolescent pregnancy in the USA: problems and prospects. Adolesc Pediatr Gynecol 1991; 4: 171–185.
Googlin RC. Expanded toxemia syndrome or gestosis. Am I Obstet Gynecol 1986; 154: 1227–33.
Konje JC, Palmer A, Watson A, Hay DM, Imrie A. Early teenage pregnancies. Hull J Obstet Gynecol 1992; 99: 969–73.
Peterlin A. Nosečnost in porod v adolescenci, vpliv mladoletnosti matere na novorojenčka. Magistarski rad. Zagreb: Medicinski fakultet sveučilišta u Zagrebu, 1978.
Pajntar M, Novak-Antolič Ž s sod. Nosečnost in vodenje poroda. Ljubljana: Cankarjeva založba, 1994: 17–342.
Cherry FF, Rojas P, Sandstead HH, Johnson LK, Wickremasinghe AR, Ebomoyi EW. Adolescent pregnancy: Maternal weight effects on fetal heaviness: Possible rout to improved outcomes. J Commun Health 1991; 16: 179–95.
Hediger ML, Scoll TD, Belsky DH, Ances IG, Salmon RW. Patterns of weight gain in adolescent pregnancy: Effects on birth weight and preterm delivery. Obstet Gynecol 1989; 74: 6–12.
Scol TO, Hediger ML, Ances IG, Belsky DH, Salmon RW. Weight gain during pregnancy in adolescence: Predictive ability of early weight gain. Obstet Gynecol 1990; 75: 948–53.
Clark JFJ, Westney LS, Lawyer CJ. Adolescent pregnancy: A 25-year review. J Natl Med Assoc 1987; 79: 377–80.
Ngoka WN, Mati JKG. Obstetric aspects of adolescent pregnancy. East Afr Med J 1980; 57: 124–30.
Taffel SM, Placek PJ, Liss T. Trends in the United States cesarean section rate and reasons for the 1980–85 rise. Am J Public Health 1987; 77: 955–9.
Krahemann F, Bruchwiler H. Adolescent primiparae of 17 Jahre und Junger. Geburtshilfe Obstet Gynaecol 1981; 52: 539–43.
Khwaja SS, Al-Sibai MH, Al-Suleiman SA, El-Zibdeh MY. Obstetric implications of pregnancy in adolescence. Obstet Gynecol 1986; 65: 57–61.
Leppert PC, Brickner NP, Baker D. Pregnancy outcomes among adolescent and older women receiving comprehensive prenatal care. J Adolesc Health Care 1986; 7: 112–7.
Wyss R, Bourrit B, Graff P. Grossesse et accouchement de l’adolescente. Ther Umsch 1982; 39: 472–5.
Scoll To, Wexberg-Salmon R, Miller LK, Vasilenko P, Furey CH, Christine SM. Weight gain during adolescent pregnancy. Associated maternal characteristics and effect on birth weight. J Adolesc Health Care 1988; 9: 286–90.
Hibbard BM. Principles of obstetrics. London: Butterworths, 1988: 194– 217.
Berardi JC, Frydman R, Heluin G, Cornu D. Adolescent pregnancy. Pediatr 1980; 37: 21–4.
The Author transfers to the Publisher (Zdravniški vestnik/Slovenian Medical Journal) all economic copyrights following form Article 22 of the Slovene Copyright and Related Rights Act (ZASP), including the right of reproduction, the right of distribution, the rental right, the right of public performance, the right of public transmission, the right of public communication by means of phonograms and videograms, the right of public presentation, the right of broadcasting, the right of rebroadcasting, the right of secondary broadcasting, the right of communication to the public, the right of transformation, the right of audiovisual adaptation and all other rights of the author according to ZASP.
The aforementioned rights are transferred non-exclusively, for an unlimited number of editions, for the term of the statutory
The Author can make use of his work himself or transfer subjective rights to others only after 3 months from date of first publishing in the journal Zdravniški vestnik/Slovenian Medical Journal.
The Publisher (Zdravniški vestnik/Slovenian Medical Journal) has the right to transfer the rights, acquired parties without explicit consent of the Author.
The Author consents that the Article be published under the Creative Commons BY-NC 4.0 (attribution-non-commercial) or comparable licence.
