The Impact of Early and Late Adolescent Pregnancies on Some Adverse Maternal and Neonatal Health

Abstract

The objective: This study aims to identify some of the major risks in pregnancy, birth out comes and its effect on their neonatal health and wellbeing among the adolescent pregnant women in Baghdad. As well as to assess some of the demographic variables among the study sample.Method: A descriptive, prospective purposive study was carried out among 350  women aged 13 -19 years with 28 completed  weeks of gestation and more attending labor word in Al Elweyiah Maternity Teaching Hospital ,the  they are sub categorized in to two groups, of which 110 of them were less than 16 years age(early adolescents), while 240 of them were between 16-19 years age(late adolescents), this study were conducted from October 2012 to June 2013, the information's gathered  through direct interview with the pregnant women before and after labor, A significant relationships were found between these two maternal age groups in relation to their health and birth out comes mode of labor and neonatal health. Statistical analyses were applied in this study in the form of chi square.The results : This study shows that the majority of early adolescent pregnant clients lives in urban areas, primary school graduates, housewives, lives in extended families, relatives with their husbands ,  they have the higher incidence of  PIT, chronic UTI, emergency cesarean section, PPH, puerperal sepsis, low birth wt, low apgar score, RDS.While in the late adolescent age group the majority lives in city center, intermediate school graduates, still students, lives in nuclear families, there is higher incidence of anemia, postnatal hypotension,Recommendations: Early adolescent pregnant women are associated with high fetomaternal risks, and extra care and close follow up are recommended during antenatal care visits, the labor should be attended by the most expert obstetricion, its essential to have the best postnatal care, also I recommend to establish a good educational programs to minimize the risks of fetomaternal morbidity as a consequence of early adolescence pregnancies.

Keywords: Impact, Adolescent, pregnancies, Maternal, Neonatal, Health.