Adolescent Pregnancy Compilation Notes

stripling older findliness oerview Alternative name c wholeing jejune mformer(a)hood gestation jejune Definition of boyish gestation period young bring forthliness is m differentwiseliness in lady fri conclusions succession 19 or pre young come alonger. Ca ingestions, incidence, and take a chance cistrons The direct of insubstantial gestation and the ingest put down for juveniles bedevil gener each(prenominal)y declined since reaching an either- eon mettle mostwhat in 1990, somely repayable to the incrementd drop of natural rubbers. callow gestation period is a complex prune with m some(prenominal) rea newss for concern. childlyer callows (12 14 historic period old) be to a great extent plausibly to gain ad hoc ride occupationual conference and much(prenominal) belike to be coerced into sex.Adolescents 18 19 geezerhood old argon technically gravids, and half of insubstantial pregnancies occur in this jump on group. Risk federal successionnts for young flummoxliness implicate * issueer term * deplorable prep atomic calculate 18 perfor homophilece * stinting disadvant epoch * Single or jejune pargonnts Adolescent set outliness juvenileage gestation Pregnancy striplingage Last reviewed September 12, 2011. Adolescent motherliness is maternal quality in girls age 19 or young. Ca applys, incidence, and essay factors Adolescent maternal quality and babies born to juveniles train dropped since reaching an all- clock laid-backschool in 1990. This is virtuallyly cod to the increased rehearse of condoms.Adolescent motherliness is a complex issue with umpteen reasons for concern. Kids age 12 14 stratums old atomic number 18 to a greater extent(prenominal) than than than plausibly than other adolescents to live with unplanned intimate intercourse . They be more credibly to be talked into having into sex. Up to two-thirds of adolescent pregnancies occur in pueriles a ge 18 19 long epoch old. Risk factors for adolescent gestation let in * Younger age * Poor school writ of execution * stinting disadvantage * Older male chafeory * Single or young pargonnts Symptoms Pregnancy symptoms include * Abdominal distension * Breast enlargement and pap tenderness * Fatigue * Light-headedness or resolutionive fainting Missed period * Na procedurea/ chuck * Frequent urination Signs and tests The adolescent may or may non admit to world conglome browse knowledgeablely. If the teen is heavy(predicate), there atomic number 18 usually cargo changes (usually a gain, entirely there may be a loss if nausea and vomiting atomic number 18 signifi fire buoyt). Examination may show increased abdominal girth, and the vigorousness fearfulness supplier may be able to feel the fundus (the aggrandisement of the enlarged uterus). Pelvic examination may reveal bluish or purple colour of vaginal walls, bluish or purple coloration and s a loting of th e cervix, and softening and enlargement of the uterus. A pregnancy test of water supply and/or serum HCG atomic number 18 usually positive. * A pregnancy ultrasound may be d whiz to confirm or harmonise accu govern dates for pregnancy. Treatment All options made available to the expectant teen should be considered c atomic number 18fully, including still line, adoption, and raising the child with community or family uphold. Discussion with the teen may require some(prenominal) visits with a health cargon fork e trulywherer to explain all options in a non-judgmental manner and involve the erects or the bugger off of the foil as appropriate. be clippings and adequate antepartum feel for, sooner by a program that specializes in teen pregnancies, ensures a smash cocker. meaning(a) teens need to be assessed for smoking, alcohol use, and drug use, and they should be spreeed support to help them quit. Adequate upkeep can be turn overd by means of nurture and co mmunity resources. Appropriate exercise and adequate sleep should overly be emphasized. Contraceptive discipline and services be historic of later delivery to prevent teens from becoming fraught(p) again.Pregnant teens and those who entertain belatedly devoted tole compute should be encour vulcanised and helped to remain in school or reenter educational programs that give them the skills to be better enkindles, and provide for their child financially and emotionally. Accessible and affordable child c atomic number 18 is an more or less-valuable factor in teen mothers continuing school or entering the bailiwick force. Expectations (prognosis) Having her rootage child during adolescence serves a cleaning woman more presumable to con open more children overall. Teen mothers be ab come to the fore 2 historic period stool their age group in completing their education.Women who hurt a baby during their teen eld are more probable to live in impoverishment. Teen mothers with a chronicle of substance abuse are more belike to start abusing by most 6 months after delivery. Teen mothers are more watchming than older mothers to flummox a act child inwardly 2 days of their first-class honours degree child. Infants born to jejune mothers are at greater risk for developmental line of works. Girls born to teen mothers are more likely to pay back teen mothers themselves, and boys born to teen mothers give up a gameyer than number ordinate of universe arrested and jailed.Complications Adolescent pregnancy is associated with higher pass judgment of illness and final stage for some(prenominal) the mother and infant. Death from frenzy is the second steering cause of death durig pregnancy for teens, and is higher in teens than in any other group. Pregnant teens are at much higher risk of having serious medical complications much(prenominal) as * Placenta previa * Pregnancy-induced hypertension * Premature delivery * Significant an emia * toxaemia Infants born to teens are 2 6 clock more likely to chip in low yield tilt than those born to mothers age 20 or older.Prematurity plays the greatest role in low bear weight, precisely intrauterine growth retardation (inadequate growth of the fetus during pregnancy) is in like manner a factor. Teen mothers are more likely to switch pathological habits that specify the infant at greater risk for inadequate growth, infection, or chemical dependence. The younger a mother is below age 20, the greater the risk of her infant dying during the first year of tone. It is very important for fraught(p) teens to turn in onwardhand(predicate) and adequate antepartum care. Calling your health care providerMake an appointment with your health care provider if you have symptoms of pregnancy. Your health care provider can to a fault provide advocate regarding quest over control methods, innerly genic disease (STD) legal profession, or pregnancy risk. Prevention on that point are many different kinds of teen pregnancy legal profession programs. * Abstinence education programs encourage young nation to wait to have sex until spousal relationship, or until they are mature comely to handle internal practise and a potential pregnancy in a responsible manner. * Knowledge- base programs focus on teaching kids close their bo faints.It alike provides detailed tuition somewhat birth control and how to prevent intimately transmitted infections (STIs). inquiry shows association- ground programs help decrease teen pregnancy order. Abstinence- altogether education without info some birth control does non. * Clinic-focused programs give kids easier access to in governing body, counseling by health care providers, and birth control services. more of these programs are offered finished school-based clinics. * Peer counseling programs typically involve older teens, who encourage other kids to resist colleague and complaisant presss to h ave sex.For teens who are already internally quick, peer counseling programs teach them relationship skills and give them information on how to get and triple-crownly use birth control. Teenage pregnancy Teenage pregnancy refers to pregnancy in a female at a lower place the age of 20 (when the pregnancy ends). It in the main refers to a female who is unwed and usually refers to an unplanned pregnancy. A pregnancy can take place at any sentence after puberty, with menarche (first menstrual period) normally winning place around the ages 12 or 13, and being the stage at which a female becomes potentially fertile.Teenage pregnancy depends on a number of societal and personal factors. Teenage pregnancy range veer among countries because of differences in aims of cozy activity, general sex education provided and access to affordable protective options. Worldwide, teen pregnancy grade range from 143 per gibibyte in some sub-Saharan African countries to 2. 9 per 1000 in so uthwestward Korea. Pregnant striplings face many of the same obstetrics issues as women in their 20s and 30s. at that place are however, rundownal medical concerns for mothers age 14 or younger.For mothers in the midst of 15 and 19, risks are associated more with socioeconomic factors than with the biological effects of age. However research has shown that the risk of low birth weight is connected to the biological age itself, as it was observed in teen births even after controlling for other risk factors ( such(prenominal) as physical exercise of antenatal care etc. ). In certain countries, juvenile pregnancies are associated with many hearty issues, including lower educational levels, higher place of poverty, and other piteouser conduct outcomes in children of puerile mothers.Teenage pregnancy in create countries is usually outside of married rival, and carries a social stigma in many communities and elaborations. more studies and campaigns have elbow greaseed t o un manage the causes and limit the numbers of adolescentd pregnancies. In other countries and cultures, particularly in the developing world, teenage pregnancy is usually at heart marriage and does non involve a social stigma. Among OECD developed countries, the coupled pleads and United Kingdom have the highest level of teenage pregnancy, spell Japan and in the south Korea have the lowest. Teenage pregnancy orderIn reporting teenage pregnancy rates, the number of pregnancies per 1000 females age 15 to 19 when the pregnancy ends is generally used. The rates look at the age at which a pregnancy ends, and not the age when the woman conceives, so that if a woman aborts her pregnancy or misscarries patch she is 19, she would be counted, mend if she went full term and gave birth at age 20 she would not be counted. According to a 2001 UNICEF survey, in 10 out of 12 developed nations with available data, more than two thirds of young battalion have had familiar intercourse while still in their teens.In Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States, the proportion is over 80%. In Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, approximately 25% of 15 year olds and 50% of 17 year olds have had sex. In a 2005 Kaiser Family insane asylum drive of US teenagers, 29% of teens describe feeling pressure to have sex, 33% of sexually spry teens reported being in a relationship where they felt things were travel too nimble sexually, and 24% had done something sexual they didnt really want to do. some(prenominal) polls have renderd peer pressure as a factor in encouraging twain girls and boys to have sex.The increased sexual activity among adolescents is manifested in increased teenage pregnancies and an increase in sexually transmitted diseases. The rates of teenage pregnancy vary and range from 143 per 1000 girls in some sub-Saharan African countries to 2. 9 per 1000 in South Korea. The rate for the United St ates is 52. 1 per 1000, the highest in the developed world and closely four clocks the European Union average. Care must excessively be taken of the uncouth actual marriage age in different countries, as in countries where teenage marriages are common can expect to also experience higher levels of teenage pregnancies.In an attempt to reverse the change magnitude numbers of teenage pregnancies, governments in many horse opera countries have nominated sex education programs, the main objective of which is to reduce such pregnancies and STDs. Save the Children show that, annually, 13 million children are born to women infra age 20 worldwide, more than 90% in developing countries. Complications of pregnancy and childbirth are the leading cause of mortality among women between the ages of 15 and 19 in such areas. The highest rate of teenage pregnancy in the world is in sub-Saharan Africa, where women tend to sweep up at an premature age.In Niger, for fount, 87% of women surv eyed were married and 53% had given birth to a child before the age of 18. In the Indian subcontinent, early marriage sometimes means adolescent pregnancy, particularly in rural regions where the rate is much higher than it is in urbanized areas. The rate of early marriage and pregnancy has reduced sharply in Indonesia and Malaysia, although it remains relatively high in the former. In the modify Asian nations such as South Korea and Singapore, teenage birth rates are among the lowest in the world.The overall trend in Europe since 1970 has been a diminish total magnificence rate, an increase in the age at which women experience their first birth, and a decrease in the number of births among teenagers. nigh continental Western European countries have very low teenage birth rates. This is varyingly attri entirelyed to good sex education and high levels of hitch use (in the case of the Netherlands and Scandinavia), traditional value and social stigmatization (in the case of Spain and Italy) or both (in the case of Switzerland). The teenage birth rate in the United States is the highest in the developed world, and the teenage bortion rate is also high. The U. S. teenage pregnancy rate was at a high in the 1950s and has decreased since then, although there has been an increase in births out of wedlock. The teenage pregnancy rate decreased significantly in the 1990s this decline manifested across all racial groups, although teenagers of African-American and Hispanic descent retain a higher rate, in comparison to that of European-Americans and Asian-Americans. The Guttmacher prove attributed about 25% of the decline to abstinence and 75% to the effective use of contraceptives.However, in 2006 the teenage birth rate come up for the first time in fourteen eld. This could imply that teen pregnancy rates are also on the rise, however the rise could also be due to other sources a possible decrease in the number of abortions or a decrease in the number of miscarria ges, to name a few. The Canadian teenage birth has also trended towards a steady decline for both younger (1517) and older (1819) teens in the period between 1992 and 2002. The age of the mother is memorised by the easily verified date when the pregnancy ends, not by the estimated date of conception.Consequently, the statistics do not include women who became fraught(p) at least(prenominal) shortly before their 20th birthdays, but who gave birth, experienced a miscarriage, or had a voluntary abortion on or after their 20th birthdays. Similarly, statistics on the mothers marital status are determined by whether she is married at the end of the pregnancy, not at the time of conception. pertain Maternal and prenatal health is of particular concern among teens who are meaning(a) or parenting. The worldwide incidence of premature birth and low birth weight is higher among adolescent mothers.In a rural infirmary in West Bengal, teenage mothers between 1519 years old were more likely to have anemia, preterm delivery, and low birth weight than mothers between 2024 years old. investigate indicates that large(predicate) teens are little likely to pose prenatal care, often desire it in the third trimester, if at all. The Guttmacher ground reports that one-third of pregnant teens receive meagerly prenatal care and that their children are more likely to suffer from health issues in childhood or be hospitalized than those born to older women.Young mothers who are given high-quality maternity care have significantly healthy babies than those that do not. Many of the health-issues associated with teenage mothers, many of whom do not have health insurance, out to result from want of access to high-quality medical care. Many pregnant teens are resign to victualsal deficiencies from poor eating habits common in adolescence, including attempts to lose weight through dieting, skipping meals, food faddism, snacking, and consumption of fast food.Inadequate nutritio n during pregnancy is an even more marked riddle among teenagers in developing countries. Complications of pregnancy result in the deaths of an estimated 70,000 teen girls in developing countries each year. Young mothers and their babies are also at greater risk of contracting HIV. The World wellness Organization estimates that the risk of death following pregnancy is twice as great for women between 15 and 19 years than for those between the ages of 20 and 24. The maternal mortality rate can be up to tailfin times higher for girls aged between 10 and 14 than for women of about twenty years of age. sinful abortion also holds many risks for teenage girls in areas such as sub-Saharan Africa. Risks for medical complications are greater for girls 14 years of age and younger, as an to a lower placedeveloped pelvis can lead to difficulties in childbirth. preclude labour is normally dealt with by Caesarean section in industrialized nations however, in developing regions where medical s ervices baron be unavailable, it can lead to eclampsia, obstetric fistula, infant mortality, or maternal death.For mothers in their late teens, age in itself is not a risk factor, and poor outcomes are associated more with socioeconomic factors rather than with biology. Psychosocial Several studies have examined the socioeconomic, medical, and psychological refer of pregnancy and parenthood in teens. livelihood outcomes for teenage mothers and their children vary other factors, such as poverty or social support, may be more important than the age of the mother at the birth. Many solutions to even off the more negative findings have been proposed.Teenage parents who can rely on family and community support, social services and child-care support are more likely to continue their education and get higher paying jobs as they progress with their education. In the mother Being a young mother in an industrialized country can call for ones education. Teen mothers are more likely to dr op out of high school. Recent studies, though, have form that many of these mothers had already dropped out of school prior to becoming pregnant, but those in school at the time of their pregnancy were as likely to graduate as their peers.One knowledge in 2001 plunge that women who gave birth during their teens pick outd secondary-level schooling 1012% as often and carry post-secondary education 1429% as often as women who waited until age 30. Young motherhood in an industrialized country can affect function and social class. Less than one third of teenage mothers receive any form of child support, vastly increasing the likelihood of routine to the government for assistance. The correlation between earlier accouchement and failure to complete high school reduces career opportunities for many young women.One reflect found that, in 1988, 60% of teenage mothers were impoverished at the time of self-aggrandising birth. Additional research found that well 50% of all adolescent mothers sought social assistance inside the first basketball team years of their childs life. A study of 100 teenaged mothers in the United Kingdom found that only 11% received a salary, while the remaining 89% were unemployed. Most British teenage mothers live in poverty, with nearly half in the bottom fifth of the income distribution.Teenage women who are pregnant or mothers are seven times more likely to commit suicide than other teenagers. Professor John Ermisch at the institute of social and economic research at Essex University and Dr Roger Ingham, director of the centre of sexual health at Southampton University found that comparing teenage mothers with other girls with too deprived social-economic profiles, bad school experiences and low educational aspirations, the difference in their respective life chances was negligible.Teenage Motherhood may actually make economic sense for young women with slight money, some research suggests. For instance, long-term studies by D uke economist V. Joseph Hotz and colleagues, published in 2005, found that by age 35, former teen moms had earned more in income, paid more in taxes, were substantially less likely to live in poverty and collected less in national assistance than akin(predicate)ly poor women who waited until their 20s to have babies.Women who became mothers in their teens freed from child-raising duties by their late 20s and early 30s to pursue employment while poorer women who waited to become moms were still stuck at spot watching their young children wound up paying more in taxes than they had collected in welfare. Eight years earlier, the federally commissioned report Kids Having Kids also contained a similar finding, though it was buried Adolescent childbearers fare slightly better than later-childbearing counterparts in terms of their overall economic welfare.One- fourth of adolescent mothers will have a second child within 24 months of the first. Factors that determine which mothers are more likely to have a closely position reduplicate birth include marriage and education the likelihood decreases with the level of education of the young woman or her parents and increases if she gets married. In the child Early motherhood can affect the psychosocial development of the infant. Developmental disabilities and behavi unwritten issues are increased in children born to teen mothers.One study suggested that adolescent mothers are less likely to stimulate their infant through tender bearings such as touch, smiling, and verbal parley, or to be sensitive and evaluate toward his or her needs. Another found that those who had more social support were less likely to show anger toward their children or to rely upon punishment. Poor schoolman performance in the children of teenage mothers has also been noted, with many of them being more likely than average to fail to graduate from secondary school, be held vertebral column a grade level, or score lower on standardise tests.Daughters born to adolescent parents are more likely to become teen mothers themselves. A son born to a young woman in her teens is one-third times more likely to serve time in prison. In other family members Teen pregnancy and motherhood can form younger siblings. One study found that the younger sisters of teen mothers were less likely to emphasize the importance of education and employment and more likely to accept human sexual behavior, parenting, and marriage at younger ages younger brothers, too, were found to be more tolerant of non-marital and early births, in addition to being more susceptible to high-risk behaviors.If the younger sisters of teenage parents babysit the children, they have an increased risk of getting pregnant themselves. Causes In some societies, early marriage and traditional gender roles are important factors in the rate of teenage pregnancy. For example, in some sub-Saharan African countries, early pregnancy is often seen as a blessing because it is proof of the young womans fertility. In the Indian subcontinent, early marriage and pregnancy is more common in traditional rural communities compared to the rate in cities.The lack of education on safe sex, whether its from parents, schools, or otherwise, is a cause of teenage pregnancy. Many teenagers are not taught about methods of birth control and how to deal with peers who pressure them into having sex before they are ready. Many pregnant teenagers do not have any cognition of the central facts of sexuality. Some teens have say to be pressured into having sex with their boyfriends at a young age, and yet no one had taught these teens how to deal with this pressure or to say no.In societies where adolescent marriage is less common, such as many developed countries, young age at first intercourse and lack of use of contraceptive methods (or their inconsistent and/or in oppose use the use of a method with a high failure rate is also a problem) may be factors in teen pregnanc y. Most teenage pregnancies in the developed world appear to be unplanned. intimateity In most countries, most men experience sexual intercourse for the first time before their 20th birthdays.Men in Western developed countries have sex for the first time sooner than in undeveloped and culturally conservative countries such as Sub-Saharan Africa and much of Asia. Countries with low levels of teenagers giving birth accept sexual relationships among teenagers and provide spaciotemporal and balanced information about sexuality. However, in a Kaiser Family Foundation study of US teenagers, 29% of teens reported feeling pressure to have sex, 33% of sexually progressive teens reported being in a relationship where they felt things were moving too fast sexually, and 24% had done something sexual they didnt really want to do.Several polls have indicated peer pressure as a factor in encouraging both girls and boys to have sex. Role of drug and alcohol use Inhibition-reducing drugs and alcoh ol may peradventure encourage unintended sexual activity. If so, it is unknown if the drugs themselves directly allure teenagers to involve in riskier behavior, or whether teenagers who prosecute in drug use are more likely to engage in sex. Correlation does not imply causation. The drugs with the strongest evidence linking to teenage pregnancy are alcohol, ten, cannabis, and amphetamines.The drugs with the least evidence to support a link to early pregnancy are opioids, such as heroin, morphine, and oxycodone, of which a well-known effect is the significant decrement of libido it appears that teenage opioid users have significantly reduced rates of conception compared to their non-using, and alcohol, ecstasy, cannabis, and amphetamine using peers. Amphetamines are often prescribed to treat minimal brain dysfunction internationally, the countries with the highest rates of recorded amphetamine prescription to teenagers also have the highest rates of teenage pregnancy. 212515 2, Leonard Sax, M. D. , Ph. D. , 2005, Doubleday books, p. 128. Lack of contraceptive method Adolescents may lack knowledge of, or access to, conventional methods of preventing pregnancy, as they may be too chagrined or frightened to seek such information. Contraception for teenagers presents a spacious challenge for the clinician. In 1998, the government of the United Kingdom set a target to halve the on a lower floor-18 pregnancy rate by 2010. The Teenage Pregnancy Strategy (TPS) was established to achieve this.The pregnancy rate in this group, although falling, rose slightly in 2007, to 41. 7 per 1000 women. Young women often hypothesise of contraception either as the pill or condoms and have little knowledge about other methods. They are heavily influenced by negative, second-hand stories about methods of contraception from their friends and the media. Prejudices are extremely difficult to overcome. Over concern about side-effects, for example weight gain and acne, often a ffect choice. Missing up to deuce-ace pills a month is common, and in this age group the figure is likely to be higher.Restarting after the pill-free week, having to hide pills, drug interactions and difficulty getting repeat prescriptions can all lead to method failure. In the United States, consort to the 2002 bailiwick Surveys of Family Growth, sexually active adolescent women wishing to avoid pregnancy were less likely than those of other ages to use contraceptives (18% of 15- to 19-year-olds used no contraceptives, versus 10. 7% average for women ages 15 to 44). More than 80% of teen pregnancies are unintended.Over half of unintended pregnancies were to women not using contraceptives, most of the rest are due to inconsistent or incorrect use. 23% of sexually active young women in a 1996 Seventeen magazine poll admitted to having had unsafe sex with a partner who did not use a condom, while 70% of girls in a 1997 PARADE poll claimed it was embarrassing to vitiate birth cont rol or request information from a doctor. In a study for The Guttmacher Institute, researchers found that from a comparative perspective, however, teenage pregnancy rates in the United States are less nuanced than one might initially assume. Since timing and levels of sexual activity are quite similar across Sweden, France, Canada, Great Britain, and the U. S. , the high U. S. rates arise primarily because of less, and possibly less-effective, contraceptive use by sexually active teenagers. Thus, the cause for the dissimilarity between privileged nations can be traced largely to contraceptive-based issues. Among teens in the UK seeking an abortion, a study found that the rate of contraceptive use was just about the same for teens as for older women. In other cases, contraception is used, but proves to be inadequate.Inexperienced adolescents may use condoms incorrectly, forget to take oral contraceptives, or fail to use the contraceptives they had previously chosen. Contraceptiv e failure rates are higher for teenagers, particularly poor ones, than for older users. Long-acting contraceptives such as intrauterine devices, subcutaneous contraceptive implants, and contraceptive injections (such as Depo-Provera and unite injectable contraceptive), which prevent pregnancy for months or years at a time, are more effective in women who have trouble remember to take pills or using prohibition methods consistently.Age discrepancy in relationships According to the conservative lobbying organization Family Research Council, studies in the US indicate that age discrepancy between the teenage girls and the men who impregnate them is an important contributing factor. Teenage girls in relationships with older boys, and in particular with fully grown men, are more likely to become pregnant than teenage girls in relationships with boys their own age. They are also more likely to carry the baby to term rather than have an abortion.A review of atomic number 20s 1990 vital statistics found that men older than high school age fathered 77% of all births to high school-aged girls (ages 1618), and 51% of births to junior high school-aged girls (15 and younger). Men over age 25 fathered twice as many children of teenage mothers than boys under age 18, and men over age 20 fathered five times as many children of junior high school-aged girls as did junior high school-aged boys.A 1992 Washington state study of 535 adolescent mothers found that 62% of the mothers had a history of being fuck upd or sexual molested by men whose ages averaged 27 years. This study found that, compared with nonabused mothers, abused adolescent mothers initiated sex earlier, had sex with much older partners, and engaged in riskier, more frequent, and abstemious sex. Studies by the Population Reference Bureau and the National center of attention for Health Statistics found that about two-thirds of children born to teenage girls in the United States are fathered by adult men age 2 0 or older.Sexual abuse Studies from South Africa have found that 1120% of pregnancies in teenagers are a direct result of rape, while about 60% of teenage mothers had unwanted sexual experiences preceding their pregnancy. Before age 15, a legal age of first-intercourse experiences among females are reported to be non-voluntary the Guttmacher Institute found that 60% of girls who had sex before age 15 were coerced by males who on average were six years their senior. One in five teenage fathers admitted to forcing girls to have sex with them.Multiple studies have indicated a strong link between early childhood sexual abuse and subsequent teenage pregnancy in industrialized countries. Up to 70% of women who gave birth in their teens were molested as young girls by contrast, 25% for women who did not give birth as teens were molested. In some countries, sexual intercourse between a peanut and an adult is not considered consensual under the law because a pocket-size is believed to la ck the maturity and competence to make an informed decision to engage in fully consensual sex with an adult. In those countries, sex with a minor is therefore considered statutory rape.In most European countries, by contrast, once an adolescent has reached the age of agree, he or she can lawfully have sexual relations with adults because it is held that in general (although certain limitations may still apply), reaching the age of consent enables a juvenile to consent to sex with any partner who has also reached that age. thitherfore, the definition of statutory rape is curb to sex with a person under the minimum age of consent. What constitutes statutory rape ultimately differs by jurisdiction. Dating violence Studies have indicated that adolescent girls are often in abusive relationships at the time of their conceiving.They have also reported that knowledge of their pregnancy has often step up violent and controlling behaviors on part of their boyfriends. Women under age 18 ar e twice as likely to be beaten by their childs father than women over age 18. A UK study found that 70% of women who gave birth in their teens had experienced adolescent domestic violence. Similar results have been found in studies in the United States. A Washington State study found 70% of teenage mothers had been beaten by their boyfriends, 51% had experienced attempts of birth control step down within the last year, and 21% experienced school or work sabotage.In a study of 379 pregnant or parenting teens and 95 teenage girls without children, 62% of the girls aged 1115 years and 56% of girls aged 1619 years reported experiencing domestic violence at the hands of their partners. Moreover, 51% of the girls reported experiencing at least one instance where their boyfriend attempted to sabotage their efforts to use birth control. Socioeconomic factors Teenage pregnancy has been defined preponderantly within the research field and among social agencies as a social problem. Poverty is associated with increased rates of teenage pregnancy.Economically poor countries such as Niger and Bangladesh have far more teenage mothers compared with economically rich countries such as Switzerland and Japan. In the UK, around half of all pregnancies to under 18s are concentrated among the 30% most deprived population, with only 14% occurring among the 30% least deprived. For example, in Italy, the teenage birth rate in the well-off central regions is only 3. 3 per 1,000, while in the poorer Mezzogiorno it is 10. 0 per 1,000. Similarly, in the United States, sociologist Mike A.Males noted that teenage birth rates closely mapped poverty rates in California County Poverty rate Birth rate* Marin County 5% 5 Tulare County (Caucasians) 18% 50 Tulare County (Hispanics) 40% 100 * per 1000 women aged 1519 Teen pregnancy cost the United States over $9. 1 billion in 2004. There is little evidence to support the common belief that teenage mothers become pregnant to get benefits, welfare, and council housing. Most knew little about housing or financial aid before they got pregnant and what they thought they knew often moody out to be wrong.Childhood environment Women exposed to abuse, domestic violence, and family discordance in childhood are more likely to become pregnant as teenagers, and the risk of becoming pregnant as a teenager increases with the number of uncomely childhood experiences. According to a 2004 study, one-third of teenage pregnancies could be prevented by eliminating exposure to abuse, violence, and family strife. The researchers note that family dysfunction has enduring and discriminatory health consequences for women during the adolescent years, the childbearing years, and beyond. When the family environment does not include adverse childhood experiences, becoming pregnant as an adolescent does not appear to raise the likelihood of long-term, negative psychosocial consequences. Studies have also found that boys raise in homes with a battered mother, or who experienced physical violence directly, were significantly more likely to impregnate a girl. Studies have also found that girls whose fathers left the family early in their lives had the highest rates of early sexual activity and adolescent pregnancy.Girls whose fathers left them at a later age had a lower rate of early sexual activity, and the lowest rates are found in girls whose fathers were present throughout their childhood. Even when the researchers took into note other factors that could have contributed to early sexual activity and pregnancy, such as behavioral problems and life adversity, early father-absent girls were still about five times more likely in the United States and three times more likely in New Zealand to become pregnant as adolescents than were father-present girls. miserable educational expectations have been pinpointed as a risk factor. A girl is also more likely to become a teenage parent if her mother or older sister gave birth in her tee ns. A majority of respondents in a 1988 Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies survey attributed the occurrence of adolescent pregnancy to a breakdown of communication between parents and child and also to inadequate parental supervision. Foster care youth are more likely than their peers to become pregnant as teenagers. The National Casey Alumni Study, which surveyed foster care alumni from 23 ommunities across the United States, found the birth rate for girls in foster care was more than trope the rate of their peers outside the foster care system. A University of Chicago study of youth transitioning out of foster care in Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin found that nearly half of the females had been pregnant by age 19. The Utah Department of world operate found that girls who had left the foster care system between 1999 and 2004 had a birth rate nearly 3 times the rate for girls in the general population. Media influenceA study conducted in 2006 found that adolescents wh o were more exposed to sexuality in the media were also more likely to engage in sexual activity themselves. According to Time, teens exposed to the most sexual content on TV are twice as likely as teens watching less of this material to become pregnant before they reach age 20. Prevention Many health educators have argued that comprehensive sex education would effectively reduce the number of teenage pregnancies, although opponents argue that such education encourages more and earlier sexual activity. United KingdomIn the UK, the teenage pregnancy strategy, which was run first by the Department of Health and is now based out of the Children, Young People and Families directorate in the Department for Children, Schools and Families, works on several levels to reduce teenage pregnancy and increase the social inclusion of teenage mothers and their families by * joined up action, making sure branches of government and health and education services work together effectively * prevention of teenage pregnancy through better sex education and improving contraceptive and advice services for young people, involving young people in service design, back up the parents of teenagers to talk to them about sex and relationships, and targeting high-risk groups * better support for teenage mothers, including help returning to education, advice and support, work with young fathers, better childcare and increasing the availability of supported housing. The teenage pregnancy strategy has had mixed success.Although teenage pregnancies have fallen overall, they have not fallen consistently in every region, and in some areas they have increased. There are school principals about whether the 2010 target of a 50% reduction on 1998 levels can be met. United States In the United States the return of sex education is the subject of much contentious debate. Some schools provide abstinence-only education and virginity crisps are more and more popular. A 2004 study by Yale and Columbia Universities found that 88% of those who pledge abstinence have premarital sex anyway. Most public schools offer abstinence-plus programs that support abstinence but also offer advice about contraception.A team of researchers and educators in California have published a list of best practices in the prevention of teen pregnancy, which includes, in addition to the previously mentioned concepts, working to instill a belief in a successful future, male involvement in the prevention process, and designing interventions that are culturally relevant. On September 30, 2010, The U. S. Department of Health and Human Services approved $155 million dollars in new funding for comprehensive sex education programs designed to prevent teenage pregnancy. The money is being awarded to states, non-profit organizations, school districts, universities and others.These grants will support the replication of teen pregnancy prevention programs that have been shown to be effective through rigorous researc h as well as the testing of new, innovative neares to combating teen pregnancy. For teens who choose to engage in sexual activity, the primary mode of preventing teen pregnancy becomes correct use of contraceptives. In the States, one form _or_ system of government initiative that has been used to increase rates of contraceptive use is Title X Title X of the 1970 Public Health Service act provides family planning services for those who do not qualify for Medicaid by distributing funding to a network of public, private, and noncommercial entities in order to provide services on a sliding scale based on income. Studies indicate that, internationally, success in reducing teen pregnancy rates is directly correlated with the kind of access that Title X provides What appears crucial to success is that adolescents know where they can go to obtain information and services, can get there easily and are assured of receiving confidential, nonjudgmental care, and that these services and con traceptive supplies are free or cost very little. In addressing high rates of unplanned teen pregnancies, scholars agree that the problem must be confronted from both the biological and cultural contexts. Netherlands The Dutch approach to preventing teenage pregnancy has often been seen as a model by other countries.The curriculum focuses on values, attitudes, communication and negotiation skills, as well as biological aspects of reproduction. The media has encouraged open dialogue and the health-care system guarantees confidentiality and a non-judgmental approach. Developing world In the developing world, programs of reproductive health aimed at teenagers are often small scale and not centrally coordinated, although some countries such as Sri Lanka have a systematic policy modeling for teaching about sex within schools. Non-governmental agencies such as the external Planned Parenthood Federation and Marie Stopes International provide contraceptive advice for young women worldwide. Laws against child marriage have reduced but not eliminated the practice.Improved female literacy and educational prospects have led to an increase in the age at first birth in areas such as Iran, Indonesia, and the Indian state of Kerala. Teenage fatherhood In some cases, the father of the child is the husband of the teenage girl. The conception may occur within wedlock, or the pregnancy itself may precipitate the marriage (the so-called scattergun wedding). In countries such as India the majority of teenage births occur within marriage. In other countries, such as the United States and the Republic of Ireland, the majority of teenage mothers are not married to the fathers of their children. In the UK, half of all teenagers with children are lone parents, 40% are cohabitating as a couple and 10% are married.Teenage parents are frequently in a romantic relationship at the time of birth, but many adolescent fathers do not stay with the mother and this often disrupts their relationsh ip with the child. Research has shown that when teenage fathers are included in decision-making during pregnancy and birth, they are more likely to report increased involvement with their children in later years. In the U. S, eight out of ten teenage fathers do not marry their first childs mother. However, teenage father may be a misnomer in many cases. Studies by the Population Reference Bureau and the National Center for Health Statistics found that about two-thirds of births to teenage girls in the United States are fathered by adult men age 20 or older.The Guttmacher Institute reports that over 40% of mothers aged 1517 had sexual partners three to five years older and approximately one in five had partners six or more years older. A 1990 study of births to California teens reported that the younger the mother, the greater the age gap with her male partner. In the UK 72% of jointly registered births to women under the age of 20, the father is over the age of 20, with almost 1 in 4 being over 25. tarradiddle Teenage pregnancy was normal in previous centuries. Perhaps the most famous teenage pregnancy in history was Mary, Mother of Jesus. She is generally believed to have been 13 years old when she gave birth to Jesus. Other sources place her age as high as 15 years.Hildegard of Vinzgouw, the wife of Charlemagne was about 14 years old when she gave birth to her first son in 772 CE. The mother of Henry VII of England was 13 years old when she gave birth to him in 1457. Maria of Tver, the wife of Ivan the Great of Russia, gave birth to her first son when she was about 16 years old, in 1458. Empress Teimei of Japan was 16 years old when she gave birth to Hirohito in 1901. Lina Medina of Peru holds the world record for youngest live birth She was five years, seven months old when she gave birth in 1939. Society and culture Teenage pregnancy has been used as a theme or plot device in fiction, including books, films, and television series.The panorama may be his torical (The Blue Lagoon, Hope and Glory) or contemporary (One Tree Hill). mend the subject is generally treated in a serious manner (Junk), it can sometimes play up to stereotypes in a queer manner (Vicky Pollard in Little Britain). The pregnancy itself may be the result of sexual abuse (Rose in The Cider House Rules), a one-night stand (Amy Barnes in Hollyoaks), a romantic relationship (Demi Miller in EastEnders) (Ronnie Mitchell in EastEnders) or a first time sexual chance upon (Sarah-Louise Platt in Coronation Street) unusually, in Quinceanera, the central character becomes pregnant through non-penetrative sex. The caper often focuses around the discovery of the regnancy and the decision to opt for abortion (Fast Times at Ridgemont High), adoption (Mom at Sixteen, Juno, Glee), marriage (Sugar & Spice, Reba and Jeni, Juno) or life as a single mother (Saved , Where the Heart Is, Someone comparable You). In the German play Spring Awakening (and the Broadway musical based upon it), the central female character gets pregnant and dies from a botched abortion. Stephanie Daley deals with the outcome of a teenage pregnancy that ends with a dead newborn baby. succession the pregnant girl herself is normally the chief protagonist, Too Young to Be a Dad centers on a 15-year-old boy whose girlfriend becomes pregnant, while The Snapper focuses on the reactions of the family, particularly the soon-to-be grandfather.Other fiction, particularly in a long-running television series, looks at the long-term effects of becoming a parent at a very young age (Degrassi Junior High). In Gilmore Girls, because Lorelai Gilmore is only 16 years older than her little girl Rory, the two are more like sisters than parent and child. Looking for Alibrandi also features the teenage daughter of a woman who was herself a teenage mother. In The George Lopez Show, Benny Lopez, gave birth to George at 16. In the ABC Family television show The Secret manner of the American Teenager cente rs on Amy Juergens, a 15-year-old who becomes a teenage mother after a one night stand. In the popular funniness Central television show South Park the character warble McCormick was said to have had her sons Kevin McCormick at 13, and Kenny McCormick at 16.In the Japanese drama 14-sai no Haha Aisuru tame ni Umaretekita, the protagonist Miki Ichinose becomes pregnant with her boyfriends child at age 14. The show examines the impact of her pregnancy on her, her family, her school life, the life of her boyfriend and his family, and the society in which she resides. Additionally, reality television shows have have teenage pregnancy stories. MTV launched two reality shows about the topic, 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom, in 2009. apiece show depicts the gritty reality that pregnant teens face from friends and family while going through this life changing event, allowing teens to see what actually move ons in this scenario through an outlet other than a scripted plot.Autobiographies th at look at the authors own experience of teenage motherhood include I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings and derive Together in My Name by Maya Angelou, Coal Miners Daughter by Loretta Lynn, and Riding in Cars with Boys by Beverly DOnofrio. Songs about teenage pregnancy include downbeat tales of abuse (Brendas Got a botch), poverty (In The Ghetto) and back-alley abortion (Sallys Pigeons), as well as upbeat and defiant tunes such as public address system Dont Preach. American pop singer Fantasia Barrino, who was 17 when she gave birth to her daughter, released a controversial call option about single motherhood titled Baby Mama, describing the difficulty of raising a child alone with modified financial and family support. (Many U. S. adio stations would not play the song, ostensibly because it contains a profanity. ) There Goes My Life, a modern country song by Kenny Chesney, focuses on the reaction of the father, who rhetorically asks, Im just a kid myself how am I going to raise on e? As the daughter grows up, his attitude changes, and the song ends with his tearful farewell as she leaves for college. Due to its implied pro-life message, There Goes My Life was sung at the inauguration of George W. Bush in 2005 Teen pregnancies in the Philippines By Rebecca B. Singson Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 005500 06/14/2008 Filed Under Health, Lifestyle & Leisure, Gender Issues (First in a series)MANILA, Philippines? The sexual revolution has ushered in a period in which the average adolescent experiences tremendous pressures to have sexual experiences of all kinds. Filipino teens get a higher exposure to sex from the Internet, magazines, TV shows, movies and other media than decades ago, yet without any corresponding increase in information on how to handle the input. So kids are pretty much left to other kids for opinions and value formation when it comes to sex. Sexual misinformation is therefore equally shared in the group. Parents at home and teachers in school feel equally inadequate or vile to discuss the topic of sex with youngsters.The problem mounts because the barkada (gang) has a more heavy(a) influence than parents do and they exert pressure and expect the adolescent to adapt to the rest of them. In fact, female adolescents whose friends engage in sexual behavior were found to be more likely to do the same compared to those who do not associate with such peers. If the teen discriminates her peers to look negatively at premarital sex, she was more likely to start sex at a later age. Numbers Statistics in the United States show that each year, almost 1 million teenage women? 10 percent of all women aged 15-19 and 19 percent of those who have had sexual intercourse? become pregnant and one-fourth of teenage mothers have a second child within two years of their first.In the Philippines, according to the 2002 Young pornographic fruitfulness and Sexuality Study by the University of the Philippines Population Institute (Uppi ) and the Demographic Research and Development Foundation, 26 percent of our Filipino youth nationwide from ages 15 to 25 admitted to having a premarital sex experience. What? s worse is that 38 percent of our youth are already in a live-in arrangement. The 1998 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) reveals that 3. 6 million of our teenagers (that? s a whopping 5. 2 percent of our population ) got pregnant. In 92 percent of these teens, the pregnancy was unplanned, and the majority, 78 percent, did not even use contraceptives the first time they had sex. Many of the youth are clueless that even on a single intercourse, they could wind up pregnant. Risks There are many reasons teen pregnancies should be avoided. Here? s a low down on the facts ? Risk for malnutritionTeenage mothers tend to have poor eating habits and are less likely to take recommended daily multivitamins to maintain adequate nutrition during pregnancy. They are also more likely to smoke, drink or take drugs during pregnancy, which can cause health problems for the baby. ? Risk for inadequate prenatal care Teenage mothers are less likely to seek regular prenatal care which is essential for monitoring the growth of the fetus keeping the mother? s weight in check and advising the mother on nutrition and how she should take care of herself to ensure a healthy pregnancy. According to the American Medical Association, babies born to women who do not have regular prenatal care are 4 times more likely to die before the age of 1 year. ? Risk for abortionUnplanned pregnancies lead to a higher rate of abortions. In the United States, nearly 4 in 10 teen pregnancies (excluding those ending in miscarriages) are end by abortion. There were about 274,000 abortions among teens in 1996. In the Philippines, although abortion is illegal, it would jar you to know that we even have a higher abortion rate (25/1,000 women) compared to the United States where abortion is legal (23/1,000 women). For sure, th ere are more abortions that happen in our country that are not even reported. Backdoor abortions are resorted to with untrained ? hilots? with questionable sterility procedures, increasing the possibility for tetanus poisoning and other complications. Risk for fetal deaths Statistics of the Department of Health show that fetal deaths are more likely to happen to young mothers, and that babies born by them are likely to have low birth weight. ? Risk for acquiring cervical cancer The Human Papillomacomputer computer virus (HPV) is a sexually-transmitted, wart-forming virus that has been implicated in make cancer of the cervix. This is the most common cancer in women secondary to breast cancer. Women who are at increased risk for acquiring this are those who engage in sex before 18, have a pregnancy at or younger than 18, or have had at least 5 sexual partners, or have had a partner with at least 5 sexual partners.If you start sex at an early age, you have a higher likelihood of goin g through several sexual partners before you settle down, thus increasing your exposure to acquiring the virus and acquiring cervical cancer. The men can get genital warts from this virus and can certainly pass it on to their partners, thus increasing her risk for cervical cancer. Is that something you would want to gift to your wife with on your honeymoon? There is a way to test women (HPV Digene test) but no test for the man so you can? t know if you have it. Using the condom does not confer protection against acquiring this virus since the condom cannot cover the testes where the warts can grow and proliferate. Adolescent Pregnancy Current Trends and Issues AbstractThe prevention of unintended adolescent pregnancy is an important goal of the American academy of Pediatrics and our society. Although adolescent pregnancy and birth rates have been steady decreasing, many adolescents still become pregnant. Since the last statement on adolescent pregnancy was issued by the Academy in 1998, efforts to prevent adolescent pregnancy have increased, and new observations, technologies, and prevention effectiveness data have emerged. The innovation of this clinical report is to review current trends and issues related to adolescent pregnancy, update practitioners on this topic, and review legal and policy implications of concern to pediatricians. INTRODUCTIONAdolescent pregnancy in the United States is a complex issue impact families, health care professionals, educators, government officials, and youths themselves. Since 1998, when the last statement on this topic was issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), efforts to prevent adolescent pregnancy have increased,and new observations, technologies, and prevention effectiveness data have emerged. The plan of this clinical report is to provide pediatricians with juvenile data on adolescent sexuality, contraceptive use, and childbearing as well as information about preventing adolescent pregnancy in their c ommunities and in clinical practice. This report does not address diagnosis of pregnancy or management of the transition to prenatal care.Information about counseling pregnant youth is provided in the AAP policy statement Counseling the Adolescent About Pregnancy Options, and from the Alan Guttmacher Institute, and information about early prenatal care is available from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists SEXUAL exercise The proportion of American adolescents who are sexually active has decreased in novel years however, rates are still high profuse to warrant concern. Currently, more than 45% of high school females and 48% of high school males have had sexual intercourse. The average age of first intercourse is 17 years for girls and 16 years for boys. However, approximately one fourth of all youth report having had intercourse by 15 years of age.Younger teenagers are especially vulnerable to coercive and nonconsensual sex. Involuntary sexual activity has been reported by 74% of sexually active girls younger than 14 years and 60% of those younger than 15 years. Sexually active youth, similar to older unmarried adults, usually have monogamous, short-lived relationships with consequent partners. Current surveys indicate that 11% of high school females and 17% of high school males report having had 4 or more sexual partners. In addition to intercourse, many adolescents report having had oral sex or pleasant in kissing, touching, or other mutual stimulation however, data on these other behaviors are reported rarely.There are several predictors of sexual intercourse during the early adolescent years, including early pubertal development, a history of sexual abuse, poverty, lack of attentive and nurturing parents, cultural and family patterns of early sexual experience, lack of school or career goals, substance abuse, and poor school performance or dropping out of school. Factors associated with a delay in the knowledgeableness of sexual in tercourse include living with both parents in a stable family environment, regular attendance at places of worship, and higher family income. Recently, parental supervision, setting expectations, and parent/child connectedness have been recognized as clear associated with decreasing risky sexual behavior and other risky behaviors among adolescents. encumbrance USEDespite increasing use of contraception by adolescents at the time of first intercourse, 50% of adolescent pregnancies occur within the first 6 months of initial sexual intercourse. The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic and public health education efforts have led more adolescents to use barrier contraceptives nonetheless, in 2003, among high school students who reported that they had ever had sexual intercourse, only 63% reported having used a condom the last time they had intercourse. Despite HIV prevention guidelines, initiation of prescription contraceptives is often go with by decreased condom use, especia lly among adolescents who do not perceive themselves to be at risk of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).Many adolescents who shortly report using prescription contraceptives delayed seeing a clinician for a contraceptive prescription until they had been sexually active for 1 year or more. Adolescent women, similar to adult women, have changed contraceptive methods in youthful years, with decreases in pill use and increases in injectable contraceptive use. Factors associated with more consistent contraceptive use among sexually active youth include academic success in school, anticipation of a satisfying future, and being problematic in a stable relationship with a sexual partner. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention unambiguously recommends both abstinence and the use of barrier contraceptives for individuals who choose to be sexually active. However, some groups continue to question the effectiveness of condoms.Youth who participated in programs that provided informa tion about abstinence, condoms, and/or contraception who were engaged in one-on-one discussions about their own behavior who were given clear messages about sex and condom or contraceptive use and who were provided condoms or contraceptives have been found to increase consistent condom and contraception use without increasing sexual activity. TRENDS IN insipid CHILDBEARING Each year, approximately 900000 teenagers become pregnant in the United States, and despite decreasing rates, more than 4 in 10 adolescent girls have been pregnant at least once before 20 years of age. Most of these pregnancies are among older teenagers (ie, those 18 or 19 years of age). nearly 51% of adolescent pregnancies end in live births, 35% end in induced abortion, and 14% result in miscarriage or stillbirth.Historically, the highest adolescent birth rates in the United States were during the 1950s and 1960s, before the legitimation of abortion and the development of many of the current forms of contrace ption. After the legalization of abortion in 1973, birth rates for US females 15 to 19 years of age decreased sharply until 1986. Rates increased steady until 1991 since then, the birth rate among teenagers has decreased every year since 1991. Since 1991, the rate has decreased 35% for 15- to 17-year-olds and 20% for 18- to 19-year-olds. Rates for 10- to 14-year-olds were 1. 4 per 1000 in 1992 and have gradually decreased to 0. 7 per 1000 in 2002.Although birth rates have been decreasing steadily for white and black teenagers in recent years, 1996 is the first year that birth rates decreased for Hispanic teenagers Hispanic adolescents also have had the highest overall birth rates and smallest decreases in recent years. Once a teenager has had 1 infant, she is at increased risk of having another. Approximately 25% of adolescent births are not first births. ADOLESCENT PARENTS AND THEIR PARTNERS Adolescent childbearing is usually inconsistent with mainstream societal demands for attain ing adulthood through education, work experience, and financial stability. Poverty is correlated significantly with adolescent pregnancy in the United States.Although 38% of adolescents live in poor or low-income families, as many as 83% of adolescents who give birth and 61% who have abortions are from poor or low-income families. At least one third of parenting adolescents (both males and females) are themselves products of adolescent pregnancy. Although it is difficult to establish causal relate between childhood maltreatment and subsequent adolescent pregnancy, in some studies as many as 50% to 60% of those who become pregnant in early or midadolescence have a history of childhood sexual or physical abuse. The problem of adolescent pregnancy is often assumed to be both an adolescent and an adult problem, because many partners of childbearing youth are adults.The percentage of adolescent pregnancies in which the father is an adult is unclear studies report a range from 7% to 67%. Adult men having sexual relationships with adolescents is problematic, because many of these relationships may be abusive or coercive. Adolescents who have sex with older men are also more likely to contract HIV infection or other STD. Although more than two thirds of adolescent girls sexual partners are the same age or within a few years older and the sexual activity is consensual in nature, some partners are more than 4 years older. Sexual relationships between adults and minors may be coercive or exploitative, with detrimental consequences for the health of both the teenager and her children.Although some states and local jurisdictions have changed statutory rape laws and their enforcement, mandated reporting of all sexual activity as statutory rape or as child abuse has not been effective at changing behavior, does not allow for clinical judgment, and has the effect of deterring some of the adolescents most in need from seeking health care. Adolescent fathers are similar to ado lescent mothers they are more likely than their peers who are not fathers to have poor academic performance, higher school drop-out rates, limited financial resources, and decreased income potential. Some fathers disappear from the lives of their adolescent partners and children, but many others attempt to stay involved, and many young fathers struggle to be involved in their childrens lives.Current programs in adolescent pregnancy and parenting are exploring ship canal to r