4. The influence of maternal age and parity on child‐bearing with special reference to primigravidae aged 15 years and under

Abstract

Summary. In singleton births, maternal and fetal survival were poorest among primigravidae aged ≤15 years and also in the highly parous women aged ≥30 years. The young teenage girls constituted 6% of the survey population and 30% of the 174 maternal deaths, while the highly parous older women made up 10% of the survey population and 20% of the maternal deaths. The perinatal death rates per 1000 singleton deliveries were 180 for the young teenage girls, 150 for the highly parous groups had under 100 for the others. The major obstetric problems were dystocia due chiefly to contracted pelvis, anaemia, eclampsia, haemorrhage and infections. Emphasis is laid on the fact that the problems of these high‐risk groups have their roots in the prevailing social attitudes which universal formal education stands the best chance of changing.

Fertility Has Been Framed: Why Family Planning Is Not a Silver Bullet for Sustainable Development

“…Prevention of pregnancies at earlier stages of the reproductive life course (typically during adolescence) is one important mechanism through which family planning scholars theorize contraception can lower fertility and bring about a reduction in adverse maternal health outcomes (Rossiter et al 1985;World Health Organization 2020). Concerns about the elevated risks of childbirth at young ages are used to justify efforts to reduce pregnancies among all adolescents, overlooking important epidemiological differences between the risks of pregnancy in younger girls (10-15 years old) and older adolescents (16-19 years old).…”