Here is some important information about teen pregnancy:

• More than ten percent of all U.S. births in 2004 were to mothers under age 20 (1). Most teenage births (about 67 percent) are to girls ages 18 and 19 (1).
• More than 750,000 teenagers become pregnant each year, and about 420,000 give birth (1, 3).
• About 3 in 10 teenage girls become pregnant at least once before age 20 (2).
• The teenage birth rate is declining. Between 1991 and 2004, the rate fell by one-third (from 61.8 per 1,000 women to 41.1) (1). Still, in 2004 (the most recent year for which data are available), about 4 teenage girls in 100 had a baby.
• Between 22 and 30 percent of teen mothers under age 18 have a second baby within two years after the birth of their first baby (2).
• Teen mothers are more likely than mothers over age 20 to give birth prematurely (before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy). Between 2002 and 2004, preterm birth rates averaged 14.3 percent for women under age 20 compared to 11.7 percent for women ages 20 to 29 (4). Babies born too soon face an increased risk of newborn health problems, long-term disabilities and even death.

How does a teen mother's health affect her baby?
Some teens may need to change their lifestyle to improve their chances of having a healthy baby. An unhealthy diet, smoking, drinking alcohol and taking drugs can increase the risk that a baby will be born with health problems, such as low birthweight  (less than 5½ pounds).

Teens are more likely to smoke during pregnancy than women over age 25. In 2004, 14.2 percent of pregnant teens ages 15 to 19 smoked, compared to 10.2 of all pregnant women (1, 5). Smoking doubles a woman's risk of having a low-birthweight baby and increases the risk of pregnancy complications, premature birth and stillbirth (6).

Teens are least likely of all maternal age groups to get early and regular prenatal care. From 2000 to 2002, an average 7 percent of mothers ages 15 to 19 years received late or no prenatal care (compared to 3.8 percent for all ages) (7). A teenage mother is at greater risk than women over age 20 for pregnancy complications, such as premature labor, anemia and high blood pressure (8). These risks are even greater for teens who are under 15 years old (8).

More than 9 million young people ages 15 to 24 are affected by sexually transmitted infections (STIs) annually, out of a total of 19 million new cases reported (9). These STIs include:

• Chlamydia, which can cause sterility
• Syphilis, which can cause blindness, maternal death and infant death)
• HIV, the virus that causes AIDS (treatment during pregnancy greatly reduces the risk of an infected mother passing an infection on to her baby)

What are the health risks to babies of teen mothers?
A baby born to a teenage mother is at higher risk for certain serious problems and death than a baby born to an older mother. Babies of teenage mothers are more likely to die in the first year of life than babies of women in their twenties and thirties. The risk is highest for babies of the mothers under age 15. In 2004, 17.1 out of every 1,000 babies of women under age 15 died, compared to 6.8 per 1,000 for babies of women of all ages (10). In 2004, 9.9 percent of mothers ages 15 to 19 years had a low-birthweight baby, compared to 8.1 percent for mothers of all ages. The risk is higher for younger mothers (1):

• 11.6 percent of 15-year-old mothers had a low-birthweight baby in 2004; 18,274 babies were born to girls this age, with 2,124 of low birthweight
• 9.4 percent of women aged 19 had a low-birthweight baby in 2004; 164,045 babies were born to these women, with 15,376 of low birthweight

Low-birthweight babies may have organs that are not fully developed. This can lead to lung problems, such as respiratory distress syndrome, bleeding in the brain, vision loss and serious intestinal problems.

Very low-birthweight babies (less than 3 1/3 pounds) are nearly 100 times as likely to die, and moderately low-birthweight babies (between 3 1/3 and 5½ pounds) are more than 5 times as likely to die in their first year of life than normal-weight babies (1).

What are other consequences of teenage pregnancy?
Life may be difficult for a teenage mother and her child. Teen mothers are more likely to drop out of high school than girls who delay childbearing. Only 40 percent of teenagers who have children before age 18 go on to graduate from high school, compared to 75 percent of teens from similar social and economic backgrounds who do not give birth until ages 20 or 21 (2).

With her education cut short, a teenage mother may lack job skills, making it hard for her to find and keep a job. A teenage mother may become financially dependent on her family or on public assistance. Teen mothers are more likely to live in poverty than women who delay childbearing, and more than 75 percent of all unmarried teen mothers go on welfare within five years of the birth of their first child (2).

About 78 percent of children born to an unmarried teenage high-school dropout live in poverty, compared to 9 percent of children born to women over age 20 who are married and high school graduates (11). A child born to a teenage mother is 50 percent more likely to repeat a grade in school and is more likely to perform poorly on standardized tests and drop out before finishing high school (2).

What recommendations does the March of Dimes make to guide teenage girls?
Because of the risks involved in teen pregnancy for both mother and child, the March of Dimes strongly urges teenage girls to delay childbearing. The March of Dimes also recommends that anyone who could become pregnant eat a healthy diet, achieve a healthy weight and quit smoking. The March of Dimes further recommends taking a multivitamin containing folic acid every day for the teen's own health and to reduce the risk of having a baby with birth defects of the brain and spinal cord, should they become pregnant.

Teens who already are pregnant can improve their chances of having a healthy baby by:

• Getting early and regular prenatal care from a health care provider or clinic.
• Eating a nutritious and balanced diet.
• Stopping smoking (and avoiding secondhand smoke). Smoking increases the risk of low birthweight, premature birth, stillbirth and pregnancy complications.
• Stopping drinking alcohol and/or using illicit drugs. Alcohol and drug use limit fetal growth and can cause birth defects.
• Avoiding all prescription and over-the-counter drugs (including herbal preparations), unless recommended by a health care provider who is aware of the pregnancy.

References

1. Martin, J.A., et al. Births: Final Data for 2004. National Vital Statistics Reports, volume 55, number 1, September 29, 2006.
2. National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. Why It Matters. Accessed 8/7/07, http://www.teenpregnancy.org/.
3. National Center for Health Statistics. Recent Trends in Teenage Pregnancy in the United States, 1990-2002. Last reviewed 2/9/07. 
4. National Center for Health Statistics, final natality data.
5. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Health, United States, 2006. June 2007.
6. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The Health Consequences of Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General – 2004. CDC, Office on Smoking and Health, Atlanta, GA, May 2004.
7. Menacker, F., et al. Births to 10-14-Year-Old Mothers, 1990-2002: Trends and Health Outcomes. National Vital Statistics Reports, volume 53, number 7, November 15, 2004.
8. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Especially for Teens: Having a Baby. Patient Education Pamphlet, August 2007.
9. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). STD Surveillance 2005. Updated 12/06.
10. Mathews, M.S., et al. Infant Mortality Statistics from the 2004 Period Linked Birth/Infant Death Data Set. National Vital Statistics Reports, volume 55, number 14, revised 6/13/07.
11. Annie E. Casey Foundation. 2007 Kids Count Data Book Online. Baltimore, MD, July 25, 2007.

October 2007