Although there has been a recent decline in teen pregnancy, teen pregnancy is still a big problem in the United States. Every year one million teens get pregnant. The United States has the highest rate of teen pregnancy (out of all the developed countries) in the world.
The reason this is such a problem is that not only is the teen's body still developing but so is the level of responsibility in some cases. The teen usually doesn't realize how much care your body needs while pregnant. A big percentage of young mothers have children with a low birth rate, which could cause the child problems throughout his/her entire life. Younger mothers also have a high rate of infant death than older women. Not only do these causes come from lack of good prenatal care. The teen's body is still developing.
Stress on the teen's body and mind cause major health risks not only for the teen but the baby as well. It is a big blow to a young woman that she may be getting ready to become a mother and a lot comes along with that. With everything that is going on inside the teen's body her hormones are usually extremely out of whack. All of this along with trying to tell your parents about the pregnancy can cause a lot of stress.
A lot of teens are doing drugs and drinking alcohol. Becoming pregnant as a teen can make this habit more alluring. With so many things on your mind as a teen, it seems easier sometimes to get "high" and, everything that was hard goes away for that short period of time. This causes even more havoc to the baby and teen. It is so important for growth and development to abstain from mind-altering chemicals etc. The teen often doesn't have the knowledge to know that doing things like this can cause major side-effects to her or her baby.
To help lower the rates of teen pregnancy, start with sharing the knowledge. Every teen should know the risks of teen pregnancy and even be aware of the consequences of having sexual intercourse at a young age. Eighty percent of teen mothers drop out of high-school and lack the education they need to excel. Let's help lower these numbers. Start sharing what you know today.
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