Teen Pregnancy

Teen Pregnancy Teen pregnancy is a topic of concern due to the significant impact on the health of the mother, child, and community. The resources available for supporting the needs of teenage mothers are decreasing; resulting in the majority of teenage mothers being caught in the vicious cycle of poverty, school failure, and limited life options (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2000). In the United States more than 40% of women become pregnant before they are twenty years old, and 50% of teenage pregnancies occur within the first six months of their initial intercourse experience (Dangal, 2006). Certain behaviors teenagers display act as predictors to early sexual activity: early dating, alcohol use, dropping out of school, lack of family and community support and relationships, a victim of sexual abuse, and having a mother who was nineteen years old or younger when she birthed her first child (Dangal).
Additionally, teenage mothers face the risk of added health problems to themselves and the child during and after pregnancy. Girls under the age of fifteen are at an increased risk for contracted pelvis, and all teenage girls have an increased risk for maternal mortality, inadequate prenatal care, poor maternal weight gain, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), pregnancy induced hypertension, anemia, and postpartum hemorrhage (Dangal, 2006). STDs affect 25% of sexually active teenagers each year, and STD infections can lead to life long problems such as infertility, cancer, and ectopic pregnancies (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2000). Other health and social risks associated with teenage pregnancy include higher infant mortality, or children with decreased cognitive abilities, physical growth, and future attainment (Cassata & Dallas, 2005).
Nursing professionals who provide care within the community must create plans of care, and provide the means to evaluate the success and need for continued nursing interventions for the community 's teenage population. Sexually

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