Postpartum contraception for adolescents

Abstract

Adolescent mothers are more likely to experience a repeat pregnancy prior to the age of 20 than other adolescent women are to become pregnant a single time. American teens who have delivered have a 12-44 % risk of pregnancy within the first 12 months after birth. This high rate of repeat pregnancy is associated with poor maternal and fetal outcomes, lack of continuing education, unemployment, and poverty. The postpartum period is one of many physical, social, and emotional changes. Many of the concerns specific to the immediate and later postpartum periods can impact contraceptive use. This chapter focuses specifically on these issues and addresses method-specific considerations related to contraceptive use by adolescents in the early and later postpartum periods. We evaluate the success of various strategies to reduce rapid-repeat adolescent pregnancy and review the data supporting the use of long-acting reversible contraceptives for this population.