Hospital-based perinatal outcomes and complications in teenage pregnancy in India

Teenage pregnancy is a worldwide problem bearing serious social and medical implications relating to maternal and child health. A cross-sectional observational study was undertaken to compare the different sociodemographic characteristics and perinatal outcomes of teenage primigravida mothers with those of adult primigravida mothers in a tertiary-care hospital in eastern India. A sample of 350 each in cases and comparison group comprised the study subjects. Data were collected through interviews and by observa-tions using a pretested and predesigned schedule. Results revealed that the teenage mothers had a higher proportion ( 27. 7%) of preterm deliveries compared to 13. 1% in the adult mothers and had low-birth-weight babies ( 38. 9% vs 30. 4% respectively). Stillbirth rate was also significantly higher in teenage deliveries ( 5. 1% vs 0. 9% respectively). The teenage mothers developed more adverse perinatal complications, such as preterm births, stillbirths, neonatal deaths, and delivered low-birthweight babies, when compared with those of the adult primigravida mothers. Teenage pregnancy is still a rampant and important public-health problem in India with unfavourable perinatal outcomes and needs to be tackled on a priority basis.