Abstract :
Adolescence is identified as the crucial period in human growth and development that is
sandwiched between childhood and adulthood, from ages 10 to19 years. It represents one of
the criticaltransitionsin the life span and is characterized by a tremendous pace in growth and
changes that is second to that of infancy. Teenage parents in developing countries are often
married in contrary to the developed world and their pregnancies may be welcomed by family
and society. However, in these societies, early pregnancy may combine with malnutrition and
poor health care which can cause medical problems.
Thisstudy was conducted to evaluate the prevalence of maternal and perinatal complications
in teenage pregnancy and the distribution of these complications according to their age. Itwas
carried out in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of Swaroop Rani Nehru Hospital
and Kamla Nehru Memorial Hospital, Allahabad, affiliated to M.L.N. Medical College,Allahabad
over a period of one calendar year. 400 women including 200 teenagers (15-19 years) and
adults(21-35 years) were studied forthe presence of maternal and perinatal complicationsand
their association with their age. This study showed that the prevalence of maternal and
perinatal complications in teenagers was 74% which was higher than adults with 38%
prevalence of complications. In this study, the perinatal morbidity was found to be 58.73% in
teenage pregnancy. The prevalence of low APGAR score at 5 minutes of birth among babies
born to teenagers was 25.40% and the prevalence of NICU admissions was 50% among babies
of teenagers.
Keyword :
Teenage, Adolescence, Morbidity, Perinatal.