The Various Effects Of Teenage Pregnancy

Teenage pregnancy has a devastating effect on the young psyche. They are completely ill prepared to deal with such a big burden, both emotionally as well as physically. Shunned by the society as well as the parents too in most cases pregnant teenagers do not have anyone to turn to. The increased mental stress in such a scenario leads to depression and even suicidal tendency. It is important for adults to support such teenage mothers to be and guide them in the right direction. After all teenagers are little more than children themselves and therefore really need their parents as well as acquaintances to support them thorough this highly complex and difficult times. Here are some of the effects of teenage pregnancy:

• Discontinued education: This is one of the major negative fallouts of teenage pregnancy. Girls who get pregnant as teenagers are unable to continue their education in most of the cases. Various surveys done in this regard have shown that only 41% of teenage mothers are able to complete the high school education as compared to 61% girls who get pregnant after the comparatively mature age of 21. Without the proper education to prepare them for the employment market these girls get exposed to all kinds of abuse.
• Health challenges: Getting pregnant anywhere between the ages of ten to nineteen pose real health challenges to the mother to be. The immature body is completely unsuited to go through the difficult process of pregnancy and childbirth. Such type of situation pose a life threatening risk to both the mother and the baby to be born. In most cases the baby is stillborn or dies off soon after its birth.
• Employment problems: Because of discontinued education and poor scoring the chances at the job market for the teenage mothers become slim and almost non-existent. A regular income is impossible to come by.
• Social welfare: With no opening at the job market the ultimate fate that awaits the teenage mother is depend on the state welfare for livelihood.  Over 75% young mothers go on welfare as the only alternative.
• Effect on children: The effects of teenage pregnancy spill on to the children born to the teenage mothers too.

The effects of teenage pregnancyare devastating to both the mothers as well as the children born to them. This is a no good situation which should be avoided at all cost. Both parental guidance and social awareness is needed to stop this menace forever.