Early teenage pregnancy outcome: a comparison between a standard and a dedicated teenage antenatal clinic

Abstract

Britain has the highest rate of teenage pregnancy in the European Union. In the younger teenager inadequate sex education, poor knowledge of and use of contraception, resulting from poor home circumstances and a high school drop-out rate appear to be important aetiological factors. A dedicated teenage clinic can enhance pregnancy outcome in this group of women, and results better than those from a standard antenatal clinic are achievable. For this group of women, other sources of sex education apart from the home and schools need to be explored.