Experience with Teenage Pregnancy

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Abstract
A retrospective study of 4224 deliveries to women age 19 or younger was conducted. The characteristics of teenage pregnancy were evaluated in an urban, predominantly non-white, socioeconomically depressed population. A total of 10,011 infants were delivered during the study period, with 42% (4224) of the infants born to teenagers. Teenage pregnancy among the urban, non-white poor is characterized by poor outcome, primarily as a reflection of the high-risk obstetric population from which it derives, and only secondarily due to any risk inherent to maternal age. A striking characteristic of pregnancy in this age group is its tendency to repeat itself. Teenage pregnancy is a sociologic problem with medical consequences, and medical programs as they presently exist are incapable of bringing about the ultimate solution, prevention.