If you think that getting pregnant as a teenager is easy, think again. A teen pregnancy comes with some pretty serious life-altering complications and consequences.
Teen pregnancy has become a serious issue in the past decade. There has been increase in teen pregnancy cases in recent years even though there are many different kinds of accessible birth control methods that are now available on the market. Pregnancy is an obvious challenge for teens as they are still not emotionally equipped enough to tackle it and they might not have the skills to be an effective parent. Motherhood is a daunting task, and teens don’t necessarily have the maturity and the ability to handle the stress that comes with it. Here are some of the consequences of a teen pregnancy as experienced by teens themselves:
Medical Complications
Pregnant teenagers are prone to medical complication during pregnancy. Some complications might include anemia, high blood pressure, premature labor and placenta previa (the placenta in comes out of the cervix before the baby.) Pregnant teens don’t tend to seek adequate medical care during pregnancy for which reasons can range from embarrassment to a general carelessness. It is important that pregnant girls receive ongoing medical care to protect the pregnancy and the health of the mother.
Social Alienation and Depression
Teenage pregnancies can cause a teenager to suffer an emotional crisis and be embarrassed or ashamed to get back to their social lives, which is understandable. Such a crisis can result in a teenager to make some rash decisions which might not be good for the baby or even the mother herself. Many women of all ages suffer from mild to severe postpartum depression, and the complications of a teenager’s emotional development and support structure could make matters worse.
Future Worries and Delayed Education
Teenage is a time when people have the grandest of dreams about their futures and that’s when they start making plans to fulfill their vision. When a teen is pregnant, she will start growing fears about her future, about whether she will be able to fulfill her dreams. Most of the times, teen pregnancy results in the teen putting off education for a while. Some teens leave high school altogether, and those looking go to college drop that idea because of the challenges motherhood presents.
Financial Troubles
Raising a kid is expensive. Financial difficulty can be a major issue after or even before the child is born. Teens that are not employed can find it difficult to raise a child on their own, let alone provide basic necessities for themselves and the child.
Effects on the Child
Children born to teen mothers can sometimes experience a wide range of issues and problems. Some of them are:
- High risk of infant mortality
- Be less mentally prepared to enter kindergarten
- Have fewer skills
- Have chronic medical conditions and problems
- Have lower achievements in the future
A child requires undivided attention. But teenagers being teenagers, may not be able to provide that sort of attention, as the needs of a baby are quite overwhelming for people still not developed emotionally enough to handle that kind of stress. This can have a profound impact on the child due to the low level of emotional support it receives.
These are some of the main ramifications of teen pregnancy that teens can suffer. If you want to avoid these problems, you are better off diligently using protection and being more responsible when it comes to sexual intercourse.
