Frequency of Teenage Pregnancy and Frequency of its Complications

Abstract

Objectives: To determine the frequency of fetomaternal complications among teenage pregnant women. Study design: Descriptive study, cross-sectional study. Settings: Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Civil Hospital Karachi Study duration: 4th February 2019 to 3rd August 2020. Materials & Methods: A total of 126 pregnant women with teenage pregnancies of 13-19 years of age were included. Patients with known medical disorders i.e. PIH, DM were excluded. All teenagers were questioned for demographic particulars like age, parity, ethnicity, antenatal care, qualification, and their height and weight were taken. Clinical details regarding maternal and fetal outcomes of pregnancy were acquired. The data regarding the demographic characteristics of pregnant teenagers and details about fetal and maternal outcomes were documented. Results: In this study, the age span ranges between 13 and 19 years with a mean age of 17.44 ± 1.63 years. A majority of these patients 100 (79.87%) were between theage group of 17 to 19 years. In this study, the frequency of fetomaternal outcome in teenage pregnancy was as follows; anemia was found in 41 (32.54%), miscarriage in 23 (18.25%) patients, and preterm birth in 45 (35.71%) patients. Conclusion: This study concluded that teenage pregnancy is associated with adverse fetomaternal outcomes so it is recommended that public awareness should be arranged on national and regional levels regarding this major public health issue and to avoid teenage marriages. Keywords: Teenage pregnancy, anemia, preterm birth.