Neonatal prognosis and outcomes in adolescent pregnancies

Abstract

Aim: The study aims to determine features, morbidities and mortality of adolescent pregnants and their hospitalized newborns in the neonatal period. Methods: Six hundred forty-one adolescent pregnants were enrolled and compared to 309 non-adolescent pregnants. Demographic characteristics of mothers and complications of delivery, demographic characteristics of newborns, morbidities, and mortality of infants admitted to hospital during neonatal period were recorded. Results: The mean age of adolescent and non-adolescent pregnants were 17.2±0.8 and 27.0±4.3 years, respectively. Education levels, being housewife, extramarital birth-giving, cesarean section rate, and twin pregnancy were higher in adolescent pregnants. The mean height, head circumference, and weight of newborns in adolescent pregnants were significantly lower. Even though neonatal mortality was similar in both pregnants, early neonatal morbidities were more common in adolescent pregnants. Duration and rate of hospitalization, and morbidities causing hospitalization during the neonatal period were similar in the babies of both pregnants. Among babies admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit, mortality rates were higher in babies born to non-adolescent mothers. Conclusion: Worse neonatal outcome of babies born to adolescent pregnants, and higher mortality in the neonatal period in non-adolescent pregnants were found. But characteristics and morbidities of babies hospitalized in the neonatal period were similar in both groups.