These teens do not know about the available contraceptives nor do they explore their options. Even if the adolescents have some form of contraception they are using them incorrectly which makes them useless during sexual activity.
These teens simply engage in intercourse at very young ages, and may have multiple partners which further leads to increased chances of pregnancy [1]. Peer pressure is another major cause of sexual abuse, often females may be pressured or forced by an older male partner to engage in sexual activity.
These young females out of fear may feel forced to engage in unprotected sex without a choice [2]. Peer pressure may also be prevalent in a different form while in relationships adolescents may be pressured by their partner to have unsafe and unprotected sex in order to express their "love" and "true feelings" for their partner.
The partner may manipulate the other to have unprotected sex which leads to unintended pregnancy [3]. Sexual abuse is also another reason why teens may become pregnant. Early sexual abuse has been linked to later teen pregnancies. Some children have unfortunately been sexually abused my predators or even family even prior to entering puberty.
These young kids often are unable to inform a trusted adult about the situation due to fear of being harmed by their predator. These situations, further effect the child as they enter adolescence and increases chances of teen pregnancy. The media has a large effect on teen pregnancy, especially shows such as " Teen Mom " and " 16 and Pregnant ".
These shows often glamorize pregnancy and hide the true hardships associated with pregnancy which encourages these teens to become pregnant. Some teenage females become pregnant just so they are able to drop out of high school or to force their partners into a deeper commitment.
Rebellion is also another reason why some teens will become pregnant. In order to show their independence and deem themselves as having more control over their lives, a teen may decide to have a child. These television glorify the idea of having a child through the promotion of these teenagers having a more adult lifestyle, with more responsibility and decision-making power [3]. Due to becoming pregnant during adolescence, teen mothers are very likely to drop out of school because of their low ambitions and dedication to getting an education.
This means that a very high percentage of teen mothers will not even go on to graduate from high school let alone pursue post-secondary education [4]. In light of this, these young girls do not have full qualifications for proper jobs in the future, which leads to having a job with very low wages or even worse, unemployment. Further, this leads to poor living conditions and the inability to maintain a safe and clean environment for their newborn child. These young women often end up living on welfare and do not have adequate resources for their child [2].
Overall, these young girls are forced to delay and postpone any plans for their future in order to raise their child [1]. Another issue associated with teen pregnancy is the young mother is often forced to essentially give up her identity for a new one while switching into a maternal role.
Factors include the desire to compensate for the loss of a child, reduced access to information and contraception and increased sexual violence. A new smartphone app is helping combat teenage pregnancy in Timor Leste by providing teenagers with sexual and reproductive health information.
Learn more. Adolescent pregnancy remains a major contributor to maternal and child mortality. Complications relating to pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of death for girls aged globally. Pregnant girls and adolescents also face other health risks and complications due to their immature bodies. Babies born to younger mothers are also at greater risk. For many adolescents, pregnancy and childbirth are neither planned, nor wanted.
In countries where abortion is prohibited or highly restricted, adolescents typically resort to unsafe abortion, putting their health and lives at risk. Some 3. Adolescent pregnancy can also have negative social and economic effects on girls, their families and communities.
Figure 2. Most of the respondents were aged 17 years or over, the majority were married, and just over half said the baby was wanted. Some admitted that getting pregnant was planned as it enabled them to avoid further sex - in South Sudan sexual abstinence is a common cultural practice during pregnancy and up to 2 years postpartum.
There was insufficient data to do regression analysis but the results do suggest that poverty was an important factor contributing to pregnancy. Lack of money for school fees apparently led to many girls dropping out of school and sometimes opting instead for marriage. The Government of South Sudan has been criticized for not budgeting enough to education. Over half the respondents had not completed primary school, and this low level of education may also have made the girls vulnerable to early sex, and to family and peer pressures.
The fact that only 4 respondents had used contraceptives probably reflects their low use in South Sudan [5]. Several respondents were aware of the health risks of pregnancy to teenage mothers and their babies — maternal mortality and anaemia rates are higher, and teenagers often get poor prenatal care [5].
High rates of preterm delivery, small-for-gestational age babies and neonatal mortality are common among teenage pregnancies in South Sudan [9]. We were unable to follow up our respondents and so do not know the outcome of their pregnancies. The factors driving teenage pregnancy are complex and varied, as are the effects on the teenage girls - and therefore require multifaceted interventions.
We recommend:. This study was limited by the sample size. As it does not involve regression analysis some confounders may obscure or mask the significant factors. However, the findings can provide insight into how teenage pregnancy can be prevented in similar area settings. We recommend a larger more in-depth study. To all the respondents who gave us their precious time, to the administrators and Staff of Juba Teaching Hospital, and to Juba college of Nursing and Midwifery for approving the study.
Copyright South Sudan Medical Journal. However, there is support available to help you to make the wisest choice for you at this time. Finding out you are pregnant — or that you will become a teenager father — can bring up many different emotions. You might feel confused and scared, or happy and excited. All these feelings are normal and okay.
Your feelings will probably also change while you are thinking about your options. Your parents will have their own feelings and wishes, but it is your life and things usually work out best if parents offer information and support but do not try to force you to follow their wishes. It is important that you have adequate information about all your pregnancy options before you make a decision. Unfortunately, many teenagers delay seeking advice when they are pregnant, perhaps hoping that it is not true.
For those who choose to continue with the pregnancy these delays can mean missing out on important antenatal care. Teenagers have higher rates of complications in pregnancy and childbirth, and are at higher risk of postnatal depression. Talk to a GP who can discuss your pregnancy in the strictest confidence. If you choose termination abortion , a delay in confirming the pregnancy can have an impact on the type of termination available.
For example, medical termination, or taking a pill to terminate the pregnancy, is only performed for pregnancies of less than 9 weeks. The law is different in each state around how you go about getting an abortion and the age at which you are allowed to make your own decision, without your parents. Speak to your doctor about this. If you decide to have an abortion, you usually need to have it before you are 14 weeks pregnant but it may be able to be done up to around 20 weeks and 24 weeks in some states.
Different issues will influence you and affect the amount of time needed to make your decision. The following questions may help you work out what is the best decision at this time in your life. If you need advice or someone to talk to, please call Pregnancy, Birth and Baby on Being a parent can make it harder to get an education or find a job.
Juggling the responsibilities of being a parent with work, school and a social life can be tiring. It can also be very difficult to get child care, and almost impossible to get affordable child care.
These difficulties can make it hard to cope financially, and can make you feel lonely and apart from your family and friends.
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