One Fifth of Teen Pregnancies are Not First Time Pregnancies

According to a recent report published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nearly one in five teen pregnancies are not first time pregnancies. Researchers analyzed two major national surveys and found that 18.3% of 365,000 teens who gave birth in 2010 already had at least one child before. This is highly concerning as it may cause health, emotional, social and financial stress to both teen mothers and their children.

Repeat pregnancy rate was highest, 21.6%, among American Indians and Alaska Natives followed by Hispanics (20.9%) and non-Hispanic blacks (20.4%). Non-Hispanic whites had the lowest repeat pregnancy rate of 14.8%.

The team also looked at contraceptive measures the young moms were taking to avoid further pregnancies in their teenage. Though 91.2% of them used some form of contraception after first pregnancy, only 22.4% had used the most effective methods, such as tubal ligation, vasectomy, implant, and an intrauterine device.

The authors indicated the importance of educating teen moms about effective contraception methods and ensuring the availability of birth control options to them.

Source-Medindia