Consequences of early sexual activity: medical and legal aspects. Teenage pregnancy: what to do


Consequences early pregnancy

Early pregnancy, by definition, occurs in a girl under 18 years of age and is therefore often called a teenage pregnancy. But the problem of early pregnancy in this case is not social; its essence is not that the girl has not reached the age of majority at the time of conceiving a child, but that early pregnancy is very dangerous both for the girl’s fragile body and for the unborn child.

The first pregnancy at an early age is associated with risks. Complications during pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death for girls aged 15-19 years. That is why preventing teenage pregnancy is effective measure, which contributes to achieving the goal: improving maternal health. Early unwanted pregnancies are associated with increased rates of induced abortions, which can lead to serious health risks, including death, if performed under unsafe conditions.

Causes of teenage pregnancy

Age limits of adolescence in different countries vary depending on the timing of puberty and the laws of those countries. For European countries this age is approximately 13-19 years. Teen pregnancy is the pregnancy of a girl who is not an adult in the legal and medical sense. And the reasons why teenage girls get pregnant have nothing to do with medicine. This is a social issue.

There are several reasons for teenage pregnancy: rape (not by a maniac), joining a bad company, dysfunctional family, sexual ignorance. And upon closer examination, it turns out that the family is to blame for all these reasons.

PREVENTION OF EARLY PREGNANCY AND LOW REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH INDICATORS AMONG ADOLESCENTS

To prevent early sexual activity and early pregnancy in adolescents, WHO recommendations have been developed regarding:

Reducing the number of marriages before the age of 18;

Reducing the number of pregnancies before age 20;

Wider use contraception girls in adolescence who are at risk unwanted pregnancy;

Reducing cases of forced sexual intercourse among adolescent girls;

Reducing the number of unsafe abortions among adolescent girls;

Increased use of skilled antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal care medical services among teenage girls.

Adolescent girls need to be informed and empowered to prevent pregnancy (and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV). Sex education aims to give children and adolescents the knowledge, skills and ability to make responsible decisions about their sexual and social relationships. Likewise, adolescent girls need to be informed about medical care in the case of abortion, where provided by law, and the dangers of unsafe abortion. Adolescent girls need to develop their life skills and improve their connections with social groups and systems social support, which will help them refuse unwanted sexual intercourse and resist forced sexual intercourse - measures that they are often unable to take. Important role Sex education plays a role in preventing early pregnancy.

Sex education is a system of pedagogical measures aimed at developing in children, adolescents, and young people a reasonable, healthy attitude towards issues of gender, sexual morality, and sex life. Thus, the main idea of ​​sex education is to prepare the younger generation for “adult” life.

An important section in the prevention of unwanted pregnancy in adolescents is health education work, which includes: conversations with teenage girls, lectures, showing film and video demonstrations, issuing leaflets, memos, and designing an information board.

At Children's Clinic No. 1 there is a “School reproductive health» for teenage girls (12-17 years old). The cycle of classes includes: 4 lectures (anatomy and physiology female body, hygiene of girls and young women; sexually transmitted infections and their prevention, the influence of bad habits on a girl’s body; methods modern contraception; about the dangers of abortion) with the screening of informational films and slides; survey of girls before and after classes at a reproductive health school, analysis of the information received.

We invite you to attend our lectures, where we will answer all your questions and, if necessary, provide qualified assistance.

Obstetrician-gynecologist of the medical and social care department of DP No. 1

In addition, early pregnancy entails many negative consequences, one of which is a stain of shame and contempt of society.

Teen pregnancy is a pregnancy that occurs before the age of 19 (according to some doctors, before the age of 21). The process of pregnancy and childbirth is no different from the processes that occur in the body mature woman, however, the risk of various complications increases significantly, as well as the development of pathologies in both mother and baby.

Risks of early pregnancy

For a future teenage mother, the risk of anemia, toxicosis, gestosis, hypertension, miscarriage or premature birth, as well as a shortage required weight. Due to a figure that is not fully formed (for example, narrow hips), complications may arise during childbirth. There is a risk for the baby birth injuries. The baby may be born underweight or premature, possibly developing intrauterine fetal hypoxia, as well as mental or physical developmental delay.

Negative consequences of early pregnancy:

1. Pregnancy in adolescence, first of all, can be life-threatening. The incidence of death during childbirth in girls aged 15 to 19 years is 4 times higher than in women aged 25 to 29 years. However, not only the expectant mother is at risk, but also the unborn baby. In the case of girls aged 10 - 14 years, the situation is even more complicated. If a girl of this age can carry and give birth to a live baby, then most likely he will have serious problems health, or he will die.

2. During early pregnancy, the question arises: what to do with your studies. Often girls who become young mothers abandon their studies and do not resume them in the future. In the future, the problem of employment arises, because... find a prestigious and high paying job without education and proper experience it is almost impossible.

3. Financial support young mother and baby. Many people have to rely only on government support, namely social security. Most teenage girls are unmarried, and about 75% of them are in full government care for five years. There is an opinion among experts that many teenagers, especially from disadvantaged families, become pregnant deliberately in order to receive financial support from the state and alimony from the child’s father. This is a kind of mechanism that helps them survive in poverty.

4. The young mother does not fully understand the full extent of responsibility, because teenage pregnancy forces you to plunge headlong into adult life with all its problems and difficulties without appropriate preparation. Children born from such parents often experience various disorders associated with improper care, malnutrition, etc. Such a mother does not know what the child needs and simply ignores his needs for affection and tactile sensations. But anger over a broken life is often transferred to the child and sometimes leads to physical violence.

What to do?

However main question in teenage pregnancy, which must be resolved as quickly as possible - to give birth or not to give birth. If you find out that you are pregnant, there are 3 options: give birth, not give birth, or give birth and give the child to adoptive parents.

The solution to such an issue must be approached with full responsibility and the decision taken must be carefully weighed and considered. If you decide to have an abortion, you should seek advice from a qualified specialist, and under no circumstances resort to home methods and means of terminating a pregnancy or have an abortion performed by a private provider. This is very dangerous and can lead to you never knowing the joy of motherhood.

Regardless of decision taken Teenage pregnancy will completely change the rest of your life. If such an event occurs in your family, try to support your child, because the expectant mother really needs warmth and care.

A teenage mother experiences many difficulties that radically change her life. First of all, she will have to leave school for a while. To avoid ridicule and others adverse reactions from others, it may be better to change your place of residence. The teenage mother needs to enlist the support of her own family and friends. Now she bears responsibility not only for her life, but also for the life of a new person.

Pregnancy at the age of 13-18 has a very destructive effect on the body of a young girl. Therefore, many pregnancies end in miscarriages. Many children born to teenage mothers have various disabilities due to the fact that the young woman’s body is not yet ready for childbearing. According to statistics, the births of women under 18 years of age are more likely to be abnormal and even fatal for woman and child. However, abortion at such an early age has an even greater destructive effect on the adolescent’s body. There is a high probability that after an abortion a woman will never be able to become pregnant again.

Entry into sexual relations in adolescence, as a rule, occurs due to the following circumstances: boredom, alcohol intoxication, material gain, the desire to attract attention and keep a partner, for self-affirmation, as a means of proving one’s maturity, violence.

Most often, these sexual relations lead to the following consequences:

  • - early pregnancy, which most often ends in abortion with all its negative consequences;
  • - marriages concluded between boys and girls who have not reached puberty are often infertile, and children born to such parents are weak;
  • - inflammatory diseases genital tract and the risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases;
  • - gynecological diseases as a consequence of abortion, pregnancy and childbirth in adolescence;
  • - intractable social, moral and ethical problems associated with early motherhood;
  • - early sexual activity is dangerous because it leads to violations hormonal regulation reproductive system, which is only getting better at this age.

Despite general decline the number of children being born, young girls are now giving birth even more than before. Many of them become single mothers, but some get married and start a family with an equally young spouse. The influence of early motherhood on the further development of a teenage girl and how young fathers cope with their role.

Conceiving a baby is quite easy, but carrying a baby is a serious matter. During pregnancy, the consumption of proteins, fats and carbohydrates increases, and a lack of vitamins and minerals occurs. All of the above elements are consumed at a rapid rate, as they are needed for the development of the fetus. But they are also needed by a teenage girl who is in a period of active growth. Therefore, there are various complications pregnancies associated with disruption of natural metabolic processes. Early pregnancy and childbirth are a separate matter, since psycho-emotional stress and physical activity at this moment extremely serious. Therefore, it is much more difficult for a girl with an unstable nervous system to survive childbirth than for a mature woman.

In general, young mothers tend to work in the lowest paid jobs and experience greater job dissatisfaction. They are more likely to become dependent on state support. Young mothers must continue their own personal and social development, while at the same time trying to adapt to the 24-hour needs of the infant.

The impact of early fatherhood on the lives of young men can also be negative and have long-term consequences. Many feel pressure to support their new families, so young fathers often drop out of school and typically receive less education than their peers who do not have children. They are also more likely to get unskilled, low-paid jobs. Over time, they are more likely to have family problems, which often lead to divorce.

Often, teens who become pregnant face strong disapproval from their family or are already in conflict with their parents by the time they become pregnant. However, if they do not marry, they often have no choice and must continue to live at home in a dependent position during pregnancy and after childbirth. Therefore, in order to avoid similar situation, some teenage girls are motivated to get married and start their own household. But marriage is not always the best solution problems of a young mother.

Contents of the article:

You hear a lot about early pregnancy. There is enough information about her to evaluate everything possible risks and consequences. It would seem that in modern world schoolchildren are more than informed about what happens in the end if early sex life. But despite this, cases of early teenage pregnancy are becoming more and more every year.

Early pregnancy is defined as the age from 13 to 18 years. This is the period when dramatic changes occur in the body of a teenage girl, namely, hormonal changes in the body begin - the schoolgirl is no longer a girl, but not yet a woman.

The main reason is that schoolgirls mature very early and have a great interest in adult sex life. As a rule, pregnancy occurs after the first sexual intercourse. After all, teenagers are convinced that this will not end in anything dangerous for them. But as a result, it all ends with the young girl tearfully telling her mother about her pregnancy. In addition, the main responsibility in this situation belongs to the parents, namely the mother of the teenager. For such children, this is a completely unknown issue and only parents can correctly explain and prevent such cases. Due to the fact that parents communicate little with their children on this topic and do not devote enough time and effort to sex education for teenagers, girls become mothers early.

Consequences of early pregnancy

Unfortunately, the outcome of such a pregnancy can be very different. Everything will depend on how it is perceived in the family this situation. For example, statistics show that most often unplanned teenage pregnancies end in abortion, and this is exactly what 70% of schoolgirls decide to do. And only 15% of girls leave the child, and another 15% face the fact that the pregnancy is suddenly terminated even after early stages. Such a large percentage of miscarriages is explained by the fact that the teenager’s body is not yet ready to bear a baby and the fetus is rejected.

The benefits of early pregnancy


Despite the fact that for the female body optimal age For the first pregnancy between 19 and 26 years of age, there are some statements to protect teenage pregnancy:
  • Unfortunately, very often teenage girls, having become pregnant, decide to terminate the pregnancy, and their mothers agree with this. But in fact, if the pregnancy proceeds normally, there are many “pros” why a girl should give birth. First of all, despite the fact that even if a teenager’s body is not yet completely ready to bear a child, at this age there are rarely any health problems. For example, it is known that it is in youth (20–22 years old) that different chronic diseases. Most often these are gastritis, pancreatitis, cholecystitis, etc. In addition, the number of young people who have cardiovascular diseases is increasing. Naturally, all this together significantly affects the course of pregnancy, especially the development of the fetus.
  • As a rule, get carried away bad habits children start already in high school, and already, as students, they manage to develop a certain habit of all this. They use large number alcoholic beverages, smoking not only tobacco products, but others can also use it harmful substances, including drugs. And it is not uncommon for girls who become pregnant at this age to have various problems with pregnancy, to the point that the fetus may have various malformations. Teenagers’ bodies are still “clean” and most likely a young mother has a better chance of giving birth healthy baby.
  • Despite a certain immaturity of the teenage body for pregnancy and childbirth, the psyche of children at this age is quite unpredictable. They are characterized by the so-called “mental flexibility,” which allows them to quickly and easily adapt to new living conditions. In addition, the nervous system is characterized by mental lability, which allows you not to get hung up on some specific situation. If we compare nervous system adult woman, then it is much more difficult for her to emotionally tune in to her pregnancy. The fact is that such women are capable of constantly oppressing themselves with various thoughts, suspicions and worries about their condition.
  • Another big advantage of teenage pregnancy is that the baby will have young grandparents after birth. This is good in the sense that not so long ago grandparents themselves were parents of small children and it will certainly be easier for them to help raise their grandson or granddaughter. After all, they still remember well all their knowledge of raising babies. This is also good from a physical point of view, because it is much more difficult for elderly grandparents to cope with their grandchildren.
As you can see, there are many positive points in order to become a young teenage mother. Of course, it’s better to avoid this, but even if it happens, you can also find a plus in it.

Disadvantages of early pregnancy


Of course, the main disadvantage of early pregnancy is that if a girl decides to give birth, in the near future she will most likely have to forget about the prospect of becoming a student. Because her main task is raising the baby. If she decides to have an abortion, the consequences can be very sad, from gynecological problems, to infertility. Unfortunately, most abortions in adolescence are carried out at long term. This is because some girls are afraid to tell their parents. Usually, the mother can suspect pregnancy. In addition, there are other unpleasant moments teenage pregnancy:
  • Despite being young and strong body a teenage girl, he is completely unprepared for such a strong load as bearing a fetus. First of all, this concerns immaturity reproductive function, namely, unsteady hormonal balance, immature egg and given early age women in labor, there is a possibility of weak labor.
  • As a result of sudden hormonal changes there is a high risk of various complications, both during pregnancy and during childbirth. For example, there may be a risk of miscarriage or premature birth, there is also a risk of oligohydramnios, which threatens the health of the child, most likely in early pregnancy the baby will be born with low weight, sometimes it can reach critical indicators, and the main thing is that there is a big threat not only to the health of the young mother, but also her life.
  • No less important is the fact that the girl may be completely unprepared for the role of a mother. And this is not strange, because just yesterday she lived free life, and a sudden pregnancy did not fit into her plans. Now she will have to make one of the most important decisions in her life, and if she decides to continue the pregnancy, she will have dramatic change life. Unfortunately, very often future fathers, not realizing full responsibility for the current situation, simply leave the girl alone with her problems, which also affects her psycho-emotional state.

Teenage pregnancy: what to do?


Considering all the pros and cons of early pregnancy, it is very important for parents of a teenager to still do everything to prevent this from happening to your child. It’s not for nothing that they say: “Everything should be on time.” But you also need to know that if this does happen, there is no point in scolding the girl and saying: “I warned you!” The main task of parents is to do everything so that the expectant mother bears a healthy baby and does not even think about abortion. After all, the consequences of an abortion are more terrible than the birth of a baby. A pregnant woman needs to be supported both mentally and physically. Parents must assure their daughter that she will not be left alone, that they are ready to support her and help her in everything. This is especially true for the girl’s mother, since she understands her condition most of all and will be able to find the right words. Moreover, given that the girl knows absolutely nothing about raising children, it is the mother’s responsibility to teach her everything and pass on her experience.

Positive on psychological state influence special courses for pregnant women, which not only support expectant mother, but they also teach her everything she needs: how to take care of the baby, how to prepare for breastfeeding and how to behave during childbirth. It is also worth visiting a psychologist who, as a specialist, knows how to help and support the expectant young mother. Such consultations for pregnant teenagers are simply necessary. After all, they were faced with difficult situations, from which it is not easy for them to find a way out.

As for the health of a pregnant woman, she must understand that now she needs to take care not only of herself, but also of her unborn baby. Considering that it will be difficult for a teenage body to experience such a load as pregnancy, the girl needs to consult a gynecologist in time for an examination. In addition, you must submit everything necessary tests and follow all doctor's recommendations.

Prevention of early pregnancy


Of course, no matter what happens, pregnancy (even if it occurs in adolescence) is not yet a tragedy. But it is important to make sure that both girls and boys understand that this is necessary and can be avoided. After all, at their age, the only thing you need to think about is studying. The main mission in “educating” teenagers about sexuality belongs, first of all, to parents, and then to teachers and social services.

The duty of teachers is to educate teenagers not only with boring conversations about early pregnancy and its consequences, but to do so available methods. For example, you need to show different films, consider different examples from life, as they say: “Learn from other people’s mistakes.”


Good trusting relationships with children are of great importance in the prevention of early teenage pregnancy. It is important to always listen to your child and try to understand him. Parents should also freely talk to their children about the consequences of early sexual activity. A teenage girl should understand that if she menstruates, she may well become pregnant. Before entering adulthood, she needs to give herself answers to the questions: “Is she ready for children?”, “Will she be able to give birth and raise a baby?” etc. In addition, she also needs to understand that she will need to devote all her time to raising the child. If she is not mentally ready for this (which is most likely the case), she should be careful. How mandatory rule prevention of early pregnancy, at this age children should understand what contraception is and how it can protect their health.

Today, adolescents receive the most information about sexual experience through the media. mass media. It is the parent's responsibility to monitor and control what your child views and what information he receives. You must explain to your teenager that at his age it is important to devote time to more important things: study, sports and caring for family. Remember that energy directed towards the right direction, will help protect your child from irreparable mistakes.

For more information about early teenage pregnancy, watch this video: