It is important not to generalize about the potentially negative outcomes of teenage pregnancy. Not all instances of teenage child bearing are detrimental for either the mother or child. Nevertheless, most teen pregnancies are unintended.
The rate of pregnancy among Canadian teenagers aged 15 to 19 has declined by about 20% since 1974, and a Statistics Canada report suggests this may be due to the availability of condoms and increased awareness of health risks associated with unprotected sex (Buske, L., 2001).
In 1997, an estimated 19,724 women aged 15 to 19 gave birth, and a slightly larger number in this age range—21,233—had an abortion. In the same year, an estimated 42,162 pregnancies of women aged 15 to 19 ended in birth, abortion or miscarriage. The number of pregnancies had declined steadily since 1994, when the estimated total was 46,753. At the same time, the teenage pregnancy rate dropped, and by 1997, it stood at 42.7 pregnancies per 1,000 women aged 15 to 19. The US rate remains double the Canadian rate (Dryburgh, H., 2006).
In the past, there has been social stigma of having a out-of-wedlock pregnancy. This may have diminished, but the risks of serious health consequences remain for babies born to mothers still in their teens. Children of teenagers are more likely to have low birth weights, and to suffer the associated health problems (Dryburgh, H., 2006).
Pregnant teens themselves are also at greater risk of health problems, including, for example, anemia, hypertension, renal disease, eclampsia and depressive disorders. As well, teenagers who engage in unprotected sex are putting their own health at risk of sexually transmitted infections (Dryburgh, H., 2006).
Teenagers who give birth, particularly at ages 15 to 17, are likely to be single. Consequently, most teenage mothers lack a partner to contribute to the household income (Dryburgh, H., 2006).
Figure 1: Teenage pregnancy rates of women aged 15 to 19 in 1997.
In recent years, teenage pregnancy in Canada has declined. At the same time, the abortion rate for teenagers has stabilized. As a result, the proportion of teen pregnancies that end in an abortion has increased, exceeding live births for the first time. Pregnancy rates are higher for older teens than younger teens. Abortion is the most common outcome for pregnancies among women aged 15 to 17. Older teens, however, are still more likely to have a live birth (Facts and statistics: Sexual health and Canadian youth, 2006).
Dryburgh, H. (2006). Statistics Canada. Retrieved March 14, 2007 from http://www.statcan.ca/english/kits/preg/preg3.htm
Facts and statistics: Sexual health and Canadian youth. (2006).Sexualityandu.ca. Retrieved March 14, 2007 from http://www.sexualityandu.ca/teachers/data-6.aspx
Copyrighted by Betty Le and Chelle Sea de Torres of Kwatlen University College 2007