Teenage Pregnancy

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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Symptoms
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Prevention and Risk Factors

Learn More

• Living With
• Related Issues
• Specifics

See, Play and Learn

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Research

• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Men
• Patient Handouts

Summary

Most teenage girls don't plan to get pregnant, but many do. Teen pregnancies carry extra health risks to both the mother and the baby. Often, teens don't get prenatal care soon enough, which can lead to problems later on. They have a higher risk for pregnancy-related high blood pressure and its complications. Risks for the baby include premature birth and a low birth weight.

If you're a pregnant teen, you can help yourself and your baby by:

• Getting regular prenatal care
• Taking your prenatal vitamins for your health and to prevent some birth defects
• Avoiding smoking, alcohol, and drugs
• Using a condom, if you are having sex, to prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs) that could hurt your baby. If you or your partner is allergic to latex, you can use polyurethane condoms.

Start Here

• About Teen Pregnancy (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Having a Healthy Pregnancy (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Help Pregnant Teens Know Their Options: AAP Policy Explained (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish

Symptoms

• Symptoms of Pregnancy: What Happens First (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

• Pregnancy Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Prevention and Risk Factors

• Birth Control: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Living With

• Having a Baby (For Teens) (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)
• Pregnancy and Nutrition: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• When Your Teen Is Having a Baby (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Adoption: Considering Your Options and Making a Plan (Children's Bureau) - PDF
• Could I Get Pregnant if I Have Sex During My Period? (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Could I Get Pregnant if I've Never Had My Period? (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Could I Get Pregnant the First Time I Have Sex? (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Helping Teen Parents and Their Children Build Healthy Futures (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• Can I Get Pregnant From Oral Sex? (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• When's the Best Time to Have Sex and Avoid Pregnancy? (Nemours Foundation)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Pregnancy in Adolescence (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Design and determination of the psychometric properties of a fear of...
• Article: Prevalence and Determinants of Early Adolescent Childbearing in High Maternal Mortality...
• Article: Estimated effect of teenage pregnancy on adverse birth outcome in Sub-Saharan...
• Teenage Pregnancy -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Also in Spanish
• How to Find Find an Ob-Gyn (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)
• March of Dimes Foundation Also in Spanish

Men

• Becoming a Father (Boston Children's Hospital)

Patient Handouts

• Teenage pregnancy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish