Underage pregnancy constitutes a great individual, family, social and public health issue, occurring in all social classes. Pregnancy in adolescents constitutes an enormous global health problem, with every year 25% of children are born to mothers younger than 19 years old.
Adolescent or teenage pregnancy has multiple factors, among them:
Poorly structured families.
Levels of critical poverty.
Marginalization.
Child and adolescent prostitution.
Overcrowded housing.
Promiscuity.
Sexual abuse (rape and incest).
Early initiation of sexual relations (in many cases even from 9 to 12 years of age).
Sexual stimulation and pornography by the environment and social media.
The consumption of alcohol and drugs.
The immaturity of the adolescent who succumbs to group pressure.
Inadequate sexual education.
Inadequate communication with parents and teachers on responsible sexuality, contraceptive methods, early pregnancy, abortion, and its consequences, sexually transmitted diseases and others.
The consequences of early pregnancy generate multiple and serious consequences:
Abortion: induced abortion is the first alternative of adolescents to solve a pregnancy, unwanted and compromising, with the dangers that to their life plus the legal consequences that this procedure carries.
Premature birth: children with low weight and height at birth, suffer a higher rate of morbidity (disease) and mortality (death).
Poor nutrition: ingestion of inadequate diets due to economic problems or to avoid gaining weight for concealing pregnancy leads to anemia and malnutrition of the young pregnant woman and the fetus.
Hemorrhages: risk of toxemia as well as the high rate of cesarean sections, due to disproportion between the young mother’s pelvis and the size of the fetus.
Individual, family and social problems: The adolescent lacks adequate anatomical and physiological development, as well as the psychological and affective maturity necessary to face pregnancy and the motherhood role.
Social problems that arise from adolescent pregnancies:
–Family conflicts and expulsion from home.
-The parents mutually attribute responsibility for the problem. -The young woman faces, and in many cases, causes the breakdown of the home.
-The situation of abandonment.
-The father most of the times does not assume any responsibility whatsoever.
-Dropping out of school leads to educational and skill formation abandonment: The young woman is not qualified for good income employment, and must settle for low paying jobs which are not enough for her support and the child’s upbringing, many times having to rely on the family, overloading the budget of the household.
Increase in the Poverty population in a society.
Increase in the community crime rate.
Due to all of the above mentioned, it is urgent to increase the dissemination of informative material on sex education and contraceptives, as well as promoting, sensitizing and raising awareness among young people who have initiated sexual activity for increased responsibility and avoid regrettable experiences and consequences.
Information and dissemination programs on reproductive sex education should incorporate parents and representatives, motivating them to be promoters in the dissemination of knowledge about sex education in their home, social and work environment.
Begin the study of sexual education from an early age that adapts to the language level and understanding. The teaching of sexual education clears doubts and fears about the genitals as an integral part of our body as are the nose, the eyes, without any other connotation other than their anatomical and functional roles and as such we must assume them.
We must encourage, without generating guilt, that enjoyment of healthy sexuality as essential for human growth, and that we can maintain and enjoy pleasurable sexual relations without unintended consequences.
For Reflection: Since we know the difficulties teachers face in motivating parents about the importance of talking and assuming the reality regarding adolescent sexuality, sexual relations, and knowledge, it is considered that lectures should be given where everyone who attends finds out about the real situation of this problem.
Moral ethical dissertation on contraceptives, which is increasingly evident based on the knowledge of the fact that early pregnancies cause problems. For this, we must emphasize the consequences for health and social life, so that the young women and that parent assimilate the magnitude of the problem adopting a realistic and responsible attitude towards it
