By: Diana García
Pregnancy during adolescence is possible from the moment the girl has her first ovulation and the boy has his first ejaculation. But a girl of this age is not mentally prepared to take care and educate a child. An early pregnancy always produces social disturbances, many times pregnancy hampers the plans you had up to that moment.
A pregnancy can occur after having a single sexual relation; a pregnancy can occur even if there is no penetration, for example when a young man, in a moment of passion, ejaculates near the vagina of the girl during her fertile period, (especially when coitus interruptus is practiced). There are many adolescents that think nothing will happen the first time and to their surprise they get pregnant. Many young girls say they have got pregnant with the first boyfriend they felt loved by.
Before 19 an adolescent is still growing and it has been proved that growth stops with pregnancy. The pelvic diameter is still small for delivery. The younger the girl, the higher the probability of spontaneous abortion or premature delivery. It is frequent to have difficulties during delivery, ending in a C section or the use of forceps, or a premature delivery ending with the time required for the baby’s maturity. Labor is longer, sometimes twice as long, provoking fetal suffering. Child morbidity is higher among children with mothers under 19. After 20, the physical growth stops and the BODY is in condition to carry on with pregnancy and delivery.
Adolescent parents
Most of the times adolescent mothers are single and they do not go to the doctor during the first months. From the total of pregnant adolescents, a high percentage is between 13 and 17 years old; many of them cannot finish their studies due to pregnancy. Once the baby is born, most of the mothers cannot find a job and get frustrated because of social exclusion, since they have to abandon their junior activities (studies, parties, reunions, etc.) because they have to take care of an adult, not desired responsibility.
We know less from adolescent fathers, since it is strange that they assume the situation, because most of the times they do not have nor the maturity nor the necessary autonomy to do so. However, it can be anticipated that they also experience problems, because they are not apt for intimacy and even less for fatherhood. Many times they are rejected by their families, they feel guilty and ashamed, so they hide when they realize that they are not capable of assuming the undesired consequences of their affective and sexual relations.
