Pregnancy can be a joyous time in the lives of many mothers-to-be. These women may have dreamed of having babies since they were young girls and may be excited about their opportunity to bring new life into the world. However, for many teenagers, pregnancy can come with a flood of negative emotions as well, including guilt, shame, and fear. 

While all pregnancies can be challenging and life-changing, pregnant teenagers face some particularly difficult challenges because many of these pregnancies are unintended. Many teens may not even realize that they are pregnant or may be in denial about their situation for a few weeks or even months. So, they may not get the proper prenatal care that they need to ensure that they and their babies are healthy. Teens may also struggle with telling their parents about their pregnancies because they are afraid that their parents will be angry and disappointed.

Additionally, pregnant teens face difficult decisions about whether or not to try to raise their babies themselves or to seek other options. Teen fathers may be confused about their rights in the situation as well. Finally, teen mothers and their babies can face physical complications during pregnancy and delivery. Unfortunately, though, the negative effects of teen pregnancy do not end with pregnancy, and teen mothers, teen fathers, and their children can face consequences for the rest of their lives.    

Prevalence of Teen Pregnancy

According to the World Health Organization, each year, approximately 16 million teen girls ages 15 to 19 give birth globally. While teen mothers account for about 11 percent of all births worldwide, they account for 23 percent of the overall burden of disease resulting from pregnancy and childbirth.

In addition to being dangerous to the mothers, teenage pregnancy is also dangerous to the babies as well. Globally, stillbirths and death during the first week of life are 50 percent higher among babies born to mothers under 20 than among mothers ages 20 to 29.

While many teenage mothers live in countries with low- and middle-income levels, the United States has the highest rate of teen pregnancy and births in the western, industrialized world. About one-third of girls in the United States become pregnant at least once by the time they are 20 years old, and about 80 percent of these pregnancies are unintentional.

Signs of Pregnancy

Teenage girls can recognize when they are pregnant by looking for certain changes in their bodies. The first sign of a pregnancy is often a missed menstrual period. However, teens do not always have regular periods, so a missed period does not always indicate pregnancy. Also, girls can experience light bleeding (called spotting) during pregnancy that may be mistaken for a period. Other early physical signs of pregnancy include changes in the breasts, such as increased sensitivity, swelling, and tenderness. Many pregnant women also experience morning sickness, nausea and vomiting that can occur at any time of the day but is particularly bad in the morning due to blood sugar levels being low.

Other early signs of pregnancy can include an increased body temperature for an extended period of time, constipation, frequent urination, headaches, heartburn, dizziness, and fatigue. Expectant mothers also often experience mood swings as their hormones change throughout their pregnancies.

As pregnancies progress, expectant mothers will gain weight and may experience breast growth, cramps, bloating, food cravings, and skin changes (ex. a “glow” as blood volume increases and makes one’s cheeks look more pink, brownish or yellowish patches on the face called chloasma cause by hormone changes, and a dark line in the middle of the lower abdomen called the linea nigra that is also caused by hormone changes).

If a teen believes that she is pregnant, she can take a home pregnancy test, which will check her urine for a hormone called HCG that is present during pregnancy. If the home pregnancy test indicates that she is pregnant, a teen should then visit a doctor who can confirm the pregnancy using a blood test or another urine test.

Prenatal Care

It is important for teens to recognize their pregnancies as early on as possible so that they can make sure to receive the necessary prenatal care. Prenatal care is special health attention that an expectant mother receives to address her needs and the needs of her baby during the pregnancy.

Prenatal care should consist of regular visits to the doctor beginning during the first month of pregnancy. In these visits, a doctor will perform several tests to check on the health of the mother and her baby. For example, the doctor will perform blood tests to check a mother’s iron levels, immunities to certain diseases, blood type, and Rh factor.

The Rh factor is a protein on the surface of red blood cells. If a mother does not have this protein and her baby does, it is possible for the mother’s immune system to attack the baby’s blood. If doctors identify this risk with the Rh factor test, then they can give the mother an injection to prevent her body from attacking the baby’s blood.

 Doctors will also perform urinalysis to determine if there are any problems with the mother’s blood sugar levels or kidneys, vaginal exams, ultrasound to look at the baby and check for any abnormalities, and Pap tests to detect changes in the mother’s cervix.

Expectant mothers should visit their doctors about once every month during the first six months of their pregnancies. During the seventh and eight months of pregnancy, expectant mothers should have prenatal check ups about every two weeks. Finally, during the ninth month of pregnancy, expectant mothers should see their doctors every week.

In addition to doctors’ visits, prenatal care also involves learning how to make healthy choices during pregnancy. Expectant mothers should take childbirth classes that will prepare them for pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and being parents. Also, expectant mothers should exercise (to boost energy levels and increase muscle strength to prepare for labor) and eat healthy diets supplemented with prenatal vitamins (to make sure that they get enough folic acid, calcium, iron, protein, and other nutrients that can help prevent birth defects and make the babies healthier). Other healthy choices that mothers should make include avoiding alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs and getting tested for sexually transmitted diseases (e.g., HIV) that can harm the health of them and their babies.

Many teen mothers do not receive the proper prenatal care because they are in denial and/or they do not want to tell their parents that they are pregnant.

Pregnant teens should talk to their parents as soon as possible so their parents can help them get prenatal care and also support them through this difficult time in their lives.

Parents may react with a variety of emotions. Parents are often angry and disappointed by the news their child is pregnant and may even make some very hurtful comments. This is because know how difficult it is to raise children and understand what their teens are about to sacrifice. Trying to prepare for a bad reaction can help a pregnant teen be less negatively affected by it if and when it comes. After parents get over their initial shock and disappointment, though, they can be good resources and good sources of support for pregnant teens.

The following tips can help teens tell their parents that they are pregnant.

Take some time to think about the best way to reveal the news.

Talk to a trusted friend, counselor, relative, etc, explain the situation to him or her, and ask for advice.

Write down ideas and plans for the future to communicate to parents.

Put herself in her parents’ shoes to try to prepare for their reaction.

Should a negative reaction come, express concerns to parents regarding their reaction.

Write her parents a letter thanking them for all they have done for her and complimenting them on what they did well as parents.

Give her parents a chance to think when they hear the news. Then after some time has passed, she can ask them when they are ready to talk about a plan.

Seek out resources (ex. family counseling, maternity homes) to help the situation if her parents do not handle the news well and are upset for a prolonged period of time.

Deciding how to tell their parents that they are pregnant can be very difficult for pregnant teens, but that is just one of the many difficult decisions they will need to make. A pregnant teen will also need to decide whether she wants to keep the baby, give it up for adoption, place the baby in foster care for a limited amount of time, or have an abortion.

Keeping the Baby: Caring for a child can be a rewarding experience. However, it can also be difficult, stressful, frustrating, and a lot of work and responsibility. Many teen parents keep their children, but before they make that decision, they need to consider several factors. For example, teen parents will have to think about the following:

Where the child will live

How they will share custody (if they are not married or planning to get married)

Where they will get the money, time, and other resources to raise the baby

Whether or not any family members or friends are willing to help raise the baby

Whether or not they are willing to commit themselves to raising the baby for the next 18 years or more

How much they are willing to sacrifice (ex. their social lives, their freedom, sleep, money, etc)

How having a baby will force them to abandon, postpone, or change their goals  of going to college, having a certain career, etc

Giving the Baby Up for Adoption: If teen parents decide that they cannot raise their baby (or that someone else may be able to do a better job of raising him or her at this point), they can choose to give their baby up for adoption.

In an adoption, a baby legally gets new parents. The adoption process can be long and complicated, and may be handled by adoption agencies or through other parties (ex. lawyers). The process involves the child’s birth parents signing consent forms that terminate their rights to make decisions for their child. Then, the adoptive parents agree to accept the baby into their home and file legal papers to adopt the child. Once they have adopted the child, the adoptive parents become legally able to make decisions for him or her. A judge approves this process, and then after a waiting period of one to six months (sometimes longer), the adoption is final.

There are different types of adoptions that dictate how much interaction the birth parents and adoptive parents can have with each other. For example, in an open adoption, the birth parents and adoptive parents can meet each other and communicate with each other directly. In a closed adoption, the birth parents and adoptive parents do not even know each other’s names. Finally, in a semi-open adoption, the birth parents and adoptive parents can communicate with each other but only through a third party.

If teen parents are considering adoption, they should talk with counselors or social workers to determine the right type of adoption for them. Also, giving a baby up for adoption can have emotional consequences. Counseling can help them feel more comfortable with their decision and can also help them cope with the adoption years later.

         Placing the Baby in Foster Care for a Limited Amount of Time: Sometimes, teen parents cannot care for their baby right after it is born, but they believes that they will be able to care for the child in the future. In that case, the teen parents can place the baby into foster care temporarily. In foster care, the child will be taken care of by another set of parents for a little while, but the birth parents will still retain their legal rights to their child. When the birth parents are ready to care for their child, they will be reunited with him or her. Adoption agencies or lawyers may be able to set up a foster care situation, but sometimes it is difficult to arrange for this option. Also, foster care may not be available as an option in some areas of the United States.

         Having an Abortion: An abortion terminates a pregnancy, and the procedure can be performed using different techniques, such as surgery and medication. If a woman decides that she wants an abortion, the procedure should be performed as early in the pregnancy as possible because it is safer the earlier it is done. The procedure can be emotional and women who have abortions are often provided counseling at clinics where they have the procedure done.

Doctors perform between 1.2 and 1.3 million abortions per year in the United States, and just under 20 percent of these procedures are done on pregnant teens.

When trying to make the difficult decision of what should happen to her baby, a pregnant teen should make sure to consider several factors, including her health, her values, and her situation. Talking to her parents, her doctors, counselors, friends, etc can help her weigh her options and choose the right one for her situation. There are also resources including family planning clinics, family services agencies, and adoption agencies that a pregnant teen can reach out to for help.

Teen Fathers’ Rights in a Pregnancy

The issue of the father’s rights often comes up in teen pregnancy cases because most teens that become pregnant are not married.

         Pregnancy: According to U.S. law, the decision to end or continue a pregnancy belongs to the expectant mother. The father can voice his opinion, but he does not have any legal power to force an expectant mother to end or continue her pregnancy.

         Establishing Paternity: If a teenage boy finds out that he may have fathered a child, he has a right to establish paternity. When a boy establishes paternity, it means that he becomes legally recognized as the child’s father. Typically, this is done after the child is born using a DNA test that can prove whether or not that teen fathered the child. Establishing paternity can help a father exercise his rights to see the, but it also means that the father is legally responsible for taking care of the child (ex. financially contributing to the rearing of the child by paying child support). A father’s specific custody rights and child support responsibilities can vary depending on his individual situation and may need to be set up by a court.

         Adoption: If the mother of a child wants to put the child up for adoption, the father of the child can file for custody if he has established paternity. If the father of the child does not want to care for the child, then he will likely be asked to sign away his legal rights to the child before the child can be adopted. However, a teen boy may not always know that he has fathered a child that has been put up for adoption. A father's rights are best protected when the fathers and mothers communicate honestly with each other from the beginning of the pregnancy.

Teen parents and their children face several complications and consequences as a result of a teen pregnancy.

Physical Complications: Pregnant teens (especially those under 15 years old) may not be completely physically mature, so their pregnancies may put even more of a strain on their bodies than pregnancies do in physically mature women. Also, pregnant teens and their babies are more likely to experience physical complications because many do not receive the proper prenatal care. Finally, pregnant teens may be more likely to experience physical complications than adult pregnant women because they are more likely to make unhealthy decisions, such as not eating enough calories because they do not want to gain weight.

Some of the physical complications that teen moms and their babies face include:

Premature labor and/or delivery (going into labor prior to week 37 of a pregnancy when the baby is not fully developed). Premature babies face increased risks of short-term and long-term issues, including vision problems, cognitive problems, and problems with the respiratory and digestive systems.

Anemia (low iron levels in the blood)

Preeclampsia (high blood pressure and fluid retention that can be very dangerous)

Having a baby with a low birth weight (less than five and a half pounds)

Emotional and Social Consequences: Teen moms as well as teen dads can also experience emotional and social consequences related to teen pregnancy. For example, if teens decide to keep their children, they will have to spend a lot of time raising them instead of spending time with friends like other teenagers. Also, teens can experience depression and other emotional consequences (ex. feelings of loss, guilt, etc.) if they choose to put their children up for adoption. Finally, teen mothers can experience negative emotional consequences from receiving abortions as well.

Consequences for the Future: Teen pregnancy puts mothers at risk for numerous future consequences as well. For example, teen mothers are less likely to complete high school and go to college than teens without children. Additionally, being a teen parent makes it more difficult to get a job, which can create financial strain. In fact, teen mothers are also more likely to end up on welfare than teens without children.

Like their mothers, children of teen parents are also at risk for future consequences because their family situations are likely to be less stable than children with adult parents. For example, children of teen parents are more likely to perform poorly in school and are at a greater risk of abuse and neglect. Female children of teen parents are more likely to become teen parents themselves than female children of adult parents. Finally, male children of teen parents are more likely to go to prison than male children of adult parents.

Teen Pregnancy and Single Parenthood

Unfortunately, another consequence that frequently results from teen pregnancy is single parenthood. Most teen parent couples do not stay together; so many teen parents raise their children without partners.

The following are some strategies that can help a single parent raise his or her children more effectively and successfully.

         Accept help from family members and friends

         Look into the possibility of joining a support group for single parents to get advice and share experiences

         Take advantage of local resources, such as play groups, after-school activities, single-parent workshops, counseling, and parenting classes

         Take care of him or herself

         Take time for him or herself

         Relax, have fun, and spend time with his or her child

         Look for trusted people of the opposite sex (ex. family members, friends, or members of groups like Big Brothers Big Sisters) to be role models for the child. Have these role models spend time with the child

         Take a break when he or she is angry or frustrated so that he or she does not take any anger out on his or her child

Fortunately for teens who have not already become parents, there are steps that can help to prevent teen pregnancy. Teen pregnancy is 100 percent preventable if teens do not have sex. Teens that have stronger emotional attachments to their parents are less likely to become sexually active at earlier ages than teens that have weaker relationships with their parents. Thus, parents and teens can help to prevent teen pregnancy by spending time together, talking, and forming strong relationships.

It is not reasonable to think that every teen will delay having sex until he or she is older, though, so it is also important for teens to be informed about contraception as well. Researchers have found that many teens that became pregnant were using some type of contraception, but they were using it inconsistently or incorrectly.

Research also suggests that teens trust information that their parents give them regarding contraception more than information that they receive from their friends. Parents can also help to prevent teen pregnancy by talking openly and honestly with their children regarding sex, its consequences, and contraception. Teens can also take responsibility for learning about contraception by asking their parents questions about it and educating themselves with information from reliable books, websites, sex education classes, etc.

Summary

Pregnancy can be an exciting and happy time in a woman’s life, but when teenage girls become pregnant, they also face several difficult challenges. Many of their pregnancies are unintended, so these teen girls are not prepared to get the proper prenatal care that they need to ensure that they and their babies are healthy. Pregnant teens can also struggle with denial about their situations and fear of their parents’ reactions, which may cause them to try to hide their pregnancies.

Teens need to tell their parents about their pregnancies as soon as possible, though, to ensure that they are getting the right prenatal care and so that they can begin to think about the difficult decisions that they need to make as well. Although parents may be disappointed and angry at their teens for becoming pregnant, it is important for them to realize that their teens need them more than ever to help them through this difficult time in their lives.

One particularly difficult decision that pregnant teens need to make is whether or not to continue with their pregnancies. If they choose to continue the pregnancies, these teens then need to decide if they will raise their babies or if they will put them up for adoption. It is especially important for teen fathers to make sure that they understand their rights in case they disagree with the teen mothers about who should raise their children.

Teenage pregnancies are also challenging because pregnant teens are often not completely mature physically or emotionally. Thus they and their babies face several risks. For teen mothers and their babies, some of these risks are physical complications associated with pregnancy, such as premature birth. For teen mothers, fathers, and their children, these consequences can be emotional and social and have the potential to impact their educational opportunities, career goals, and relationships with others for the rest of their lives.