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| Teenage Pregnancy |
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Teenage pregnancy
is normally something unexpected. There is a continuing increase
in teenage pregnancy. This increase is a major concern because
teenage mothers and their babies face more risks to their
health. The birth rate for young teens (age 15 to 17) is steadily
rising. Between 1986 and 1991, the rate increased
by 27 percent (from a rate of 30.5to a rate of 38.7 per 1,000
women). In 1991, nearly 4 in 100 girls ages 15 to 17 had a
baby. About 1 million teenagers become pregnant each year,
and more than 530,000 give birth. Nearly 13% of all U.S. births
in 1991 were to teens. Teens often have poor eating habits,
and may smoke, drink alcohol and take drugs, increasing the
risk that their babies will be born with health problems or
miscarriages. A teenage mother is also more at risk of pregnancy
complications such as premature or prolonged labor, anemia
and high blood pressure. These risks are even greater for
teens who are less than 15 years old. Even in a country as
developed and advanced as the U.S.A. the teenage birth rate
exceeds most other developed countries. Teen mothers are also
least likely, of the age groups, to get support or help from
their parents. In 1991, 11 percent of teen mothers got no
support or parental care from their parents. Three million
teens are affected by sexually transmitted diseases annually,
out of the 12 million cases reported. These include chlamydeous
(which can cause sterility), syphilis (which can cause blindness,
death, and death to the infant) and AIDS, which is fatal to
the mother and can infect the infant although in some cases
AIDS was not transmitted to the baby. A baby born to a teenage
mother is more at risk than a baby born to an older mother.
Nine percent of teenage girls have low-birth weight babies
(under 5.5 lbs.), compared to 7 percent of all mothers. There
are many different risks when an under aged, under prepared
woman brings a new life into this world. Low-birthweight
babies may have organs that are not fully developed.
This can lead to lung problems such as respiratory distress
syndrome, or bleeding in the brain. Low-birthweight babies
are 40 times more likely to die in their first month of life
than normal-weight babies. Life is often difficult for a teenage
mother and her child. One in three teen mothers drops
out of high school. With her education cut short,
a teenage mother may lack job skills, making it hard for her
to find and keep a job. A teenage mother may become financially
dependent on her family or on welfare. Teens may not have
developed good parenting skills, or have social-support systems
to help them deal with the stress of raising
an infant. Therefore, like you see on the news so many times,
teen mothers often do drastic things to themselves and to
her baby. Some may commit suicide, murder their babies, ignore
them and let them starve or dehydrate to death. It is probably
the saddest aspect of teenage pregnancy and with the teenage
pregnancy
rate rising every year, it isn't going to stop any time soon.
Top |
| Glossary |
pregnancy:
embarazo
rising: aumentando
birthweight: peso al nacer
drops out: abandona
raising: criar
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