Pregnancy In Adolescence: Its Causes, Impacts, And Mitigation Strategies

 Pregnancy in adolescence is a significant shameful concern worldwide. It has long-term consequences for the young mother, her child, family, and the larger society as a whole. Adolescent pregnancy, defined as pregnancy occurring in girls between 15-19 years, is often the corollary of complex interplay of factors, including lack of education, poverty, limited access to reproductive health resources, and cultural norms that promote early marriages and childbearing. In many countries, adolescents pregnancy rates have declined dramatically in recent years, but disparities still persist, with certain populations, such as Hispanics and African American teens, experiencing higher rates of pregnancy.

The causes of adolescents pregnancy vary, and are influenced by a range of factors, including socio-economic status of parents and caregivers, level of education, and access to reproductive health services. Poverty and lack of education can limit a young girl's opportunities and increase her vulnerability to early pregnancy. In some countries like Niger, early marriage is common-place and young girls feel that it is culturally normative to have children as early as possible, thereby perpetuating a cycle of abject poverty and limited opportunities. The impact of adolescent pregnancy can be severe and long-lasting, affecting not only the young mother, but also her child and family. Adolescents mothers are more likely to experience complications during pregnancy and childbirth, and their children are at a higher risk of low birth weight, poor health outcomes, and developmental delays. Majority of adolescent pregnant mothers usually give birth through Caesarean Section. Furthermore, adolescent pregnancy can disrupt, truncate, and limit education and limit future opportunities, perpetuating cycles of poverty and disadvantage. In countries like Bangladesh, adolescent pregnancy is the order of the day rather exception. In Bangladesh, adolescent pregnancy has been linked to higher rates of maternal and child mortality, highlighting the need for targeted interventions to support young mothers. 

 Mitigation strategies to address adolescent pregnancy focus on providing education, improving access to reproductive health services, and promoting healthy behaviours. Comprehensive sex education programmes to forewarn the young girls of the danger of engaging in premarital sexual affairs is necessary. In some cases, when these young girls get pregnant, they would not even know that they are with babies till their stomachs shoot out. Most of them hide their pregnancies from their parents and caregivers who may have consistently warned them of it. Now, some elite parents may like to take the young pregnant mother to hospitals for pregnancy termination (abortion) through Caesarean Section (CS). This approach is safer but very painful as the doctor's hand goes straight to the womb to destroy the foetus, resulting to much loss of blood. Some pregnant girls from middle-class income families may also resort to going to hospitals for abortion through Caesarean Section. 

The worst approach to abortion is when the parents are illiterates and poor. They usually tend to take the pregnant girl to local herbalist to terminate the pregnancy. In this case, the possibility of survival and death are 50%-50%. Anything can happen to the young inexperienced girl. One, the local abortion approach does not carry out the abortion through Caesarean Section. They usually give the girls some mixtures of herbs to drink. If the girl is lucky, the foetus will fall down as thick blood if the pregnancy has not been long. If the girl is unlucky, the formed foetus will not fall down. Rather, it begins to undergo decomposition or decay in the womb. In that case, the girl dies. In some cases, the girl begins to swell up like fermented flour in the bakery. She begins to smell and change colour because of the rotten foetus in the womb. When she opens her mouth to speak, the unbearable odour of the decayed foetus in the womb oozes out. When this happens, the parents and caregivers may go to a medical doctor for help when it is late. The doctor carries out an urgent surgery on the girl to remove the rotten womb and the decayed foetus it is harbouring. This is done to save the girl's life but without any womb for conception in future. So, you see can the disadvantages of premarital sexual affairs. It is such an ill wind that doesn't blow anyone good! The worst part of adolescent pregnancy is the one where peers in the school advise the pregnant girl to hide it from her parents at home. Parents at home would not know that the life of their daughter on the campus is hanging in the balance. 

These peers may gather some money and take the pregnant girl either to hospital or to a local herbalist for abortion. If it is successful, the parents at home will never know that their daughter has gotten pregnant and aborted it. The girl may get pregnant again, and again because the Bible said that the abomination of Moab is not yet over. Many parents do not know that their daughters have done several abortions, especially if no surgery was involved. Some young girls get pregnant and travel to far distant places to abort them so that nobody from their areas may know about it. I once saw a young girl lying critically ill in a hospital bed in Lagos. I asked her the nature of sickness she was suffering from. She told me that she came from Cotonou in Benin Republic to Lagos to do abortion through surgery. I was shocked and dumb-founded. I once met another young lady who told me that she had done fourteen (14) abortions. Can you see that? Do you think that their parents know all these details about them? Those parents who have young girls have something to do. Warn them of the dangers of illicit sexual relationships and unplanned pregnancies. 

Every hand should be on deck to sound timely warnings to the girls to avoid sexual practices before marriage irrespective of the enormity of money or advantage they stand to get as payment. In many cases, young girls surrender their bodies to the male predators after being given only a bottle of coke, fried rice, and chicken. Whatever happens to the girl after that means nothing to the boy or man. The boy or man has taken what he wanted and discharged the girl like a waste in the trash can. Many teenage girls learnt promiscuity from their mothers, older female siblings, or peers, because children learn by observing and imitating their parents, caregivers, and the environment, according to Albert Bandura's Social Learning Theory. Parents should prioritize and model good lifestyles for their children to emulate. 

Premarital sexual affairs lead to death, barrenness, and discontinuity in academic pursuits. In Sweden, comprehensive sex education programmes are implemented by the Swedish Government. These programmes are reported to be highly effective in reducing adolescent pregnancy rates by providing young people with a course information about reproductive health and relationships. Additionally, increasing access to contraception and reproductive health services can help young girls to make informed decisions or choices about reproductive health. In some countries, community-based initiatives and support programmes have been established to provide young mothers and their families with resources and support. In countries like Nepal, community-based programmes have been implemented to promote girls' sex education and daily marriage, reducing the risk of adolescent pregnancy. 

In conclusion, pregnancy in adolescence is a great problem that requires a comprehensive and holistic approach to mitigate. By understanding the causes and impact of adolescent pregnancy, and implementing effective mitigation strategies, we can work towards reducing adolescent pregnancy rates and abortion practices, and the attendant barrenness and untimely deaths associated with them, thereby promoting healthy development plan for young people. By so doing, we can help young people to live in peace, health, and prosperity.

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