Adolescent pregnancies - Essay Example

Teenage pregnancies occur when adolescent girls get pregnant, and often, it happens without their knowledge. This type of pregnancy is mostly unplanned for, as the girls are not married yet and they are still under the care of their parents (Baker 69). The teenager and her parents are the ones who are affected the most, and may experience a wide range of emotions, which range from shock, disappointment to grief and worry about the future of their teenage daughters. Some teenagers do abortions for fear of being condemned, and this endangers their lives and their hopes of getting babies in the future when the abortions are not done by professionals.

Regardless of how the emotions are, it is always good to make sure that the pregnant teenager is made to feel loved and that she is not alone. This can be achieved by ensuring that there is communication with her so that she can have a healthy pregnancy where her health and that of her unborn child are not at risk. If she is not guided properly, she may not seek proper medical care during the pregnancy period, hence increasing the risk of medical complications on her and the unborn child. Pregnant teenagers should be given special medical care, nutrition and education mostly on infections, drug abuse, and pregnancy complications.

They also need to be aware of the activities they can engage in and endanger the development of the unborn child. Hence, pregnant teenagers should have checkups from the early stages of the pregnancy due to the complications of their bodies since they are not fully developed.There are numerous causes of teenage pregnancies, but the most common one is lack of awareness on, and this is because most of them do not understand the effects of unprotected. Many parents and teachers do not provide sex education to the teenagers because they find difficulties in facing them and talking about sexual matters.

Another reason for teenage pregnancy is social economical factors such as poverty, which is caused by low income, and low levels of education among the teenagers. Drug and substance abuse among the teenagers has also been a leading cause of teenage pregnancies.The effects of teenage pregnancies include dropping out of school after getting pregnant and most teenagers after giving birth do not get a chance to go back to school. It also causes unemployment since most of the teenagers do not continue with education, and this means that securing a job will be difficult.

In most circumstances, if the teenagers are not from a wealthy family, it increases their poverty levels. Teenage pregnancies also cause social embarrassment and emotional traumas to family members and to the pregnant teenager. In addition, early motherhood affects the psychological development of the child as they may end up growing without knowing their fathers (Baker 73).To be able to control teenage pregnancies parents and teachers should have the courage and take the responsibility to educate their teenagers on sexuality and relationships.

Furthermore, parents should educate their children on issues of sex and teach them how they can protect themselves from early pregnancies by ensuring they uphold moral standards that are expected from them by the society. Teenagers should also learn to be disciplined and endeavor to make informed decisions on the actions they choose to undertake. Work CitedBaker, Philip. Teenage Pregnancy and Reproductive Health, 2007. London: RCOG.