The outcomes of pregnancy and childbirth in adolescents in Slovenia

Abstract

IntroductionThe objective of the study was to determine the course and outcomes of pregnancy and childbirth in adolescents compared to women aged 20–24 years in Slovenia.MethodsIn the retrospective study, the course of pregnancy and labour and the perinatal outcome of newborns in primiparous adolescents aged ≤19 years (study group) have been compared to the control group of primiparous women aged 20–24 years. The study group was further divided into a study subgroup of adolescents aged ≤17 years. Data were retrieved from the National Perinatal Information System in Slovenia for the period 2008–2012. Altogether, 13,663 women and their newborns were included.ResultsAdolescent pregnancy was associated with increased rates of unknown estimated date of delivery, preterm labour, low birth weight newborns, small for gestational age newborns and low gestational weight gain. Spontaneous labour was more common in adolescents, while emergency and elective Caesarean sections were less common than in women aged 20–24 years. In addition, pregnancy in adolescents aged ≤17 years was associated with increased rate of maternal anaemia and labour without complications. Higher rates of smoking, lower rates of parenting school attendance, lower rates of pregnancy check-ups and screening tests in pregnancy such as nuchal translucency in adolescents were found.ConclusionsThe results of the study show that adolescent pregnancy is related to higher health risks for pregnant adolescents and their newborns. In addition, adolescents are subject to poorer prenatal care comparing to older women.

Hospital-Based Study of Maternal, Perinatal and Neonatal Outcomes in Adolescent Pregnancy Compared to Adult Women Pregnancy

“…In our study, the educational level is significantly higher among the adult mothers compared to teenage mothers. Younger maternal age is associated with being unmarried, primiparous and under-educated, heavy smoking and inadequate prenatal care, which may cause adverse pregnancy outcomes as reported in Taiwanese national survey and a study from Slovenia [27], [28]. Our results showed that pregnant teenagers were more live in rural area and the adolescent birth rate is significantly higher among Roma minority compared to the other ethnicities.…”

Investigation of Adolescent Pregnancy Outcomes and Postpartum Depression Frequency and Risk Factors: Prospective Case Control Study

“…The mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure values of the adolescent group in the current study were found to be significantly higher than those of the adult group, whereas there was no significant difference in the pre-eclampsia rates (4% vs 3%). Korencan et al (34) reported these rates as 4.9% in the 20-24 years age group, 4.8% in the ≤19 years age group and 4.7% in the ≤17 years age group, which were similar results to those of the current study.…”

Maternal Characteristics and Obstetric and Neonatal Outcomes of Singleton Pregnancies Among Adolescents

“…Preterm labor is observed in 7-12% of all pregnancies [50] and at high rates among adolescent pregnancies [15,[51][52][53]. Preterm delivery rates in adolescent pregnancies in our cohort support the consistently reported high prevalence of preterm delivery among adolescent pregnancies (7.9% to 18.2%), particularly amongst the youngest (13-year-olds, 14.5%) mothers [3,36,54]. Nonetheless, high prevalence of late preterm cases in our study seems notable given that premature birth was the most common cause of NICU admission among neonates.…”

“…Similarly, in our study, while majority of pregnancies were desired pregnancies, one-third of adolescents had insufficient antenatal follow-up. Indeed, adolescent pregnancy has consistently been reported to be related to poorer antenatal care compared to adult women [3,[36][37][38], as suggested to be associated with higher likelihood of a teenage pregnancy to occur in a socially deprived society, resulting in adolescent mothers to less likely attend antenatal care clinics, due to economic and social barriers [39,40].…”