Effects of Teenage Pregnancy on Obstetric and Perinatal Outcomes at a Tertiary Health Institution in Goa

Abstract

Introduction: Teenage pregnancy is a serious health problem worldwide due to the several adverse maternal and perinatal outcomes associated with it. The present study was hence undertaken to study the obstetric outcomes of teenage mothers delivering in Goa Medical College. Methods: A case–control study was conducted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Goa Medical College, for a period of 1 year (December 2018–2019). All teenage mothers <20 years of age delivering in this institution during the said period were included in the study and their maternal and perinatal outcomes were recorded and compared with the same number of randomly selected adult mothers in the age-group of 20–29 years. Results: The incidence of teenage pregnancy in the present study was found to be 2.9%. Obstetric complications like preeclampsia (28.6%), anemia (26.3%), intrauterine growth restriction (25.4%), meconium-stained amniotic fluid (14%), and preterm labor (14%) were found significantly high among teenage mothers. The neonates born to teenage mothers were at risk of developing complications like low birth weight (44%), prematurity (14%), hypoglycemia (30%), hyperbilirubinemia (67%), and increased neonatal intensive care unit admissions (37%) in comparison to those born to adult mothers. Conclusion: Thus, there is a need to implement strong health policies which will help us to reduce the incidence of teenage pregnancy and its associated adverse outcomes.