a Childbirth
Risk of Teen Pregnancy
Risk of teen pregnancy is related to pregnancies in the range of 13-15 years.
There is research made in South Africa of a foraging population, called the Pume. Among these people there is no birth control, sexual activity starts with the menstruation cycle, socioeconomic conditions are the same for the whole population, there is no prenatal care and early childbearing is considered the norm. So even when no socio –economic factors are taken into account, early teen births show to be risky. Yet, an antropologist Karen Kramer found that the women who are reproducing in their middle teens 14-16 had reproductive success.
It should be noted that this risk of teen pregnancy occurs, because the South Africa foraging population lives in bad conditions and the health of women is compromised and there is a greater mortality for late teens and it rises with age for women.
The situation in an affluent society is different, so pregnancy can be delayed until full maturity of the woman. Factors that influence the decision to get pregnant are availability of marrying partner, education and employment opportunities.
Part of the solution would be the availability of resouces for all and proper living conditions. Another problem is not just the fact that a woman is giving birth young, immature and financially dependent, but the lack of support network to help her raise the child. Even a single mother will not experience such difficulties if the child is taken care by more people across generations.
If a girl gets pregnant before the pelvis has reached the adult size and shape, the babies tend to be smaller, but the bay head is still big which results in common cases of cephalopelvic disproportion. This might lead to greater chance of cesarean.
Growing up and maturing are dependent on environmental conditions, such as diet, health care, prenatal care. Improvement of health requires improvement of social and economical context.
Image -- courtesy of Jessie Jacobson
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