Teenage Pregnancy: Effect on the Mother and Child

Oladele Favour. E. // SSS 2 // GCI Press Club Member

Early pregnancy can have harmful consequences for both teenagers and their offsprings. Ideally, no girl should become pregnant before the age of 18 because she is physically and mentally ready to bear children.

Babies of mothers younger than 18 years old tend to be premature. Such babies have low body weight and are more likely to die in the first year on earth.

The risk to the teenage mother’s health is greater. Poor health is common among indigent women.

Teenage pregnancies pose a threat on the sexual health of the mother as it leads to poor sexual and reproductive well-being. It also hinders the girl-child from pursuing her life goals and desires.

Teenage pregnancy robs such mother of her childhood times, her physical development which encompasses the psychological and emotional development.

In fact, early marriage inflicts great emotional stress as the young lady is snatched from her parents’ home to that of her husband and in-laws.

Her husband who is invariably many years older will have little in common with a young teenager. It is with this man that she has to develop an intimate, emotional and physical relationship.

She is thus obliged to have sexual intercourse, although physically she might not be involved, which is as a result of her loss of sexual feeling.