Causes of Teenage Pregnancy

1. Peer Pressure
- The friends or other people that surround the teenage pregnancy victim might be
influenced or forced to perform sexual intercourse with the opposite gender. The
victim might feel pressured to do it to feel that they are part of the friend group.
Teenage pregnancy can also be caused by the influence of their peers that are sexually
active.

Reference: Barros, V. (2022, September 15) Maagang Pagbubuntis: Mga Mga Dahilan at
Posibleng Epekto. Bunternity. https://buntis.info/maagang-pagbubuntis/

2. Effect of Alcohol and Drugs

- Teenagers already drink alcoholic drinks at such a young age and some experiments
with illegal drugs. Getting too drunk causes them to be a little wild which triggers the
individual to perform sexual activities. When the brain is intoxicated by alcohol, the
person loses control of their own body. Drugs and alcohol affects how the human
brain functions. Some young minds do not have any idea how abusing alcohol and
drugs would affect how their brain would think. Excessive drinking usually leads to
an increased chance of getting pregnant at a young age.

References: Barros, V. (2022, September 15) Maagang Pagbubuntis: Mga Mga Dahilan at
Posibleng Epekto. Bunternity. https://buntis.info/maagang-pagbubuntis/

Northwestern Medicine. (2021, March). How Alcohol Impacts the Brain.

https://www.nm.org/healthbeat/healthy-tips/alcohol-and-the-brain

The University of British Columbia. (2016, April 8). Causes and Effects of Teen Pregnancy.
https://wiki.ubc.ca/Causes_and_Effects_of_Teen_Pregnancy

3. Lack of Knowledge About Sex Education

- Some teenagers do not know that much about sex and how it affects one another.
They do not have any idea that teenage pregnancy must not be tolerated. Some
teenagers think of being pregnant as a better option instead of pursuing their
education. Lacking education about this matter contributes to its persistent existence
in the community.
 - Young minds that know about sex education improve their sexual behaviors. Having
knowledge related to sex decreases the likelihood of an individual getting pregnant or
getting someone pregnant at such a young age.

References: UNESCO. (2018, February 15). Why comprehensive sexuality education is

important. https://en.unesco.org/news/why-comprehensive-sexuality-education-important

Plan International. Teenage Pregnancy. https://plan-international.org/srhr/teenage-pregnancy/

4. Cultures
- There are cultures and traditions that practice forced and arranged child marriages. It
often leads to teenage pregnancy when young people are pushed to marry early
without their own consent. Some of the countries that practice child marriages are
India and Sub-Saharan Africa.

References: The University of British Columbia. (2016, April 8). Causes and Effects of Teen
Pregnancy. https://wiki.ubc.ca/Causes_and_Effects_of_Teen_Pregnancy

Gigon, A. (2011, October 3). Child Marriage. Humanium. https://www.humanium.org/en/child-

marriage/

5. Taboo on Discussing Sex Topics

- Most parents do not open up about sex with their children and it is taboo to even talk
about it in their own households. Parents must teach their children about sex
education to open up their minds and for them to be mindful of their reproductive
health. Young teens that do not have knowledge about sex are most likely to get
engaged in sexual activities since they do not know how this will affect them and how
this might lead them to get pregnant or make someone pregnant. Teenagers’ curiosity
makes them wonder what sex is and will suddenly try sexual activities, therefore,
increasing the chances of teenage pregnancy.

References: Bain, L.E., Muftugil-Yalcin, S., Amoakoh-Coleman, M. et al. (2020, September

11). Decision-making preferences and risk factors regarding early adolescent pregnancy in
Ghana: stakeholders’ and adolescents’ perspectives from a vignette-based qualitative study.
Reproductive Health. https://reproductive-health-journal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/
s12978-020-00992-x

Jaymalin, M. (2019, April 1). Sex discussions still taboo in Filipino homes — Popcom. Philstar.
https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2019/04/01/1906327/sex-discussions-still-taboo-filipino-
homes-popcom

6. Mother also got Pregnant Early

- A mother who once became a teenage parent could influence their own children to
also bear a child at an early age. These parents might have taught their teenagers that
it is fine to get pregnant or get someone pregnant in their teenage years. The type of
parents that tell their children these things are those who think they did not suffer
when they were pregnant. Or the child might think that it is okay to be pregnant at an
early age just like their parent.

Reference: Southeastern Idaho Public Health. Risk Factors for Teenage Pregnancy.
https://www.siphidaho.org/rephealth/app_risk.php

7. Sexual Abuse
- There are factors of teenage pregnancy that are absolutely unintentional. Some babies
of teenage parents were a product of sexual harassment. The percentage of teenagers
that got pregnant in a disliked sexual experience is 61%.

References: Plan International. Teenage Pregnancy. https://plan-international.org/srhr/teenage-

pregnancy/

The University of British Columbia. (2016, April 8). Causes and Effects of Teen Pregnancy.
https://wiki.ubc.ca/Causes_and_Effects_of_Teen_Pregnancy

Community Crisis Center, Inc. Teen Pregnancy and Sexual Assault.

https://www.crisiscenter.org/images/SAINDoc10.pdf

8. Insufficient Access to Birth Controls

- There are teenagers that are already sexually active at their age. Most of them are
irresponsible and do not take any birth control to lessen the chances of getting
 pregnant or getting someone pregnant. Some types of birth control that a teenager
could take are pills, a birth control shot, or a patch. While a male teenager can use a
condom or a spermicide.

References: Plan International. Teenage Pregnancy. https://plan-international.org/srhr/teenage-

pregnancy/

Familydoctor.org. (2020, May 26). Teenage Pregnancy and Birth Control Access.
https://familydoctor.org/teenage-pregnancy-birth-control-access/

Effects of Teenage Pregnancy

1. Health Problems
- Teen pregnancy must not be tolerated since it can risk the health of the teen mother
and the child. The mother can experience various health issues such as anemia,
postpartum hemorrhage, etc. Early pregnancy could also impact the mental health of
the teen parent, they could develop depression and other mental disorders. Young
parents face a lot of stress because of unintended pregnancy, or because they are not
equipped with enough knowledge to handle their rapid transition to motherhood life.
- The child of the teenage parent could also suffer health concerns. There is a high
chance of premature birth, malnutrition, serious infections, etc. These health concerns
could happen to the child of a teen parent since the mother has poor maternal health.

References: National Nutrition Council. (2021, March 22). Negative Impacts of Teenage
Pregnancy in the Philippines. GOVPH. https://nnc.gov.ph/regional-offices/mindanao/region-ix-
zamboanga-peninsula/4931-negative-impacts-of-teenage-pregnancy-in-the-
philippines#:~:text=Pregnancy%20during%20teenage%20years%20is,and%20poor%20mental
%20health%20outcomes.

Nall, R. (2016, September 18). What Are the Effects of Teenage Pregnancy? Healthline.
https://www.healthline.com/health/pregnancy/teenage-pregnancy-effects
 2. Dropping-Out from School
- Since a teenage mom needs to focus on their pregnancy, they often stop going to
school to take care of their child. While some drop out of school because there is not
enough money for education. The young parent puts the entire budget into the health
and needs of their child that school is not on their minds anymore.
- Not pursuing education lessens their opportunities to have better jobs to sustain their
everyday life and provide needs of their child.

Reference: The University of British Columbia. (2016, April 8). Causes and Effects of Teen
Pregnancy. https://wiki.ubc.ca/Causes_and_Effects_of_Teen_Pregnancy

3. Poverty
- When a teenage parent drops out of school, they usually have lesser and limited
opportunities since they might not own some required qualifications to enter a job.
Other than lesser job opportunities, unemployment can also occur.
- The teen parent is most likely unemployed and does not own money. As there is not
enough budget for providing the needs of the child, teenage parents can experience
difficulty in spending cash for the health and needs of the child and therefore leading
to poverty.

References: The University of British Columbia. (2016, April 8). Causes and Effects of Teen
Pregnancy. https://wiki.ubc.ca/Causes_and_Effects_of_Teen_Pregnancy

Hechtman, L. (1989, August). Teenage mothers and their children: risks and problems: a review.
Canadian journal of psychiatry. Revue canadienne de psychiatrie, 34(6), 569–575.
https://doi.org/10.1177/070674378903400615

4. Ruined Social Life

- Teenage parents might isolate themselves from their other peers because of the stress
they are experiencing in their parenthood. They can also lose contact with their
friends since they need to transfer their attention on taking care of their children.

Reference: The University of British Columbia. (2016, April 8). Causes and Effects of Teen
Pregnancy. https://wiki.ubc.ca/Causes_and_Effects_of_Teen_Pregnancy