Teenager Pregnancy Outcomes: A Comparative Study

Abstract

Objective: To assess whether teenage pregnancies are linked to an increased risk of adverse
obstetric outcomes compared to pregnancies in older women.
Materials and Methods: This case-control study analyzed the obstetric outcomes of 90
teenage pregnancies compared to 90 adult pregnancies during the same period at Al-Basra General
Hospital.
Results: There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of medical,
obstetric, or neonatal complications, such as pregnancy-induced hypertension, diabetes mellitus,
urinary tract infections, antepartum and postpartum hemorrhage, premature rupture of membranes,
stillbirth, or the rate of cesarean sections. However, anemia was significantly more common in
teenage pregnancies (27.8% vs. 13.3%). Additionally, teenage pregnancies were associated with a
higher incidence of preterm labor (20% vs. 6.67%), low birth weight (17.78% vs. 5.6%), and
neonatal intensive care unit admissions (23.3% vs. 11.1%), while labor augmentation was less
frequent in teenage pregnancies (45.5% vs. 61.1%).
Conclusion: Teenage pregnancies are generally associated with favorable outcomes, except for
a higher prevalence of anemia, preterm labor, and low birth weight