Teenage pregnancy, also called adolescent pregnancy, refers to pregnancies by women, aged 19 years

and below. Teenage pregnancy is risky, because the female’s body at that age has not yet reached full
maturity. This can lead to complications during pregnancy, labor, and delivery.

Teenagers who get pregnant often do not seek and get the right prenatal care, which may lead to health
complications later during the course of their pregnancy.

A November 2020 Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey found that Filipinos think teenage
pregnancy is the “most important problem of women today” in the Philippines.

According to the new data, 59% of Filipinos believed that early adolescent pregnancy was the most
important problem – a landslide number compared to the next most important problems: physical
violence at 11% and unexpected pregnancy at 11%.

Sexual and emotional violence each ranked 7% on the list. Meanwhile, 4% thought that the most
important issue for women was that they cannot access family planning information and services.

While all 3 island groups and Metro Manila overwhelmingly agreed that teen pregnancy was the
most important issue, it was the Mindanao respondent group that yielded the highest agreement at
67%. Visayas followed at 60%.

The Population Commission (POPCOM) reported that 24 babies are born to teenage mothers every
hour. About 200,000 teens in the Philippines get pregnant annually, most of whom are 15 to 19 years of
age. The World Bank notes that every year, 47 per 1,000 births from women in the Philippines are from
mothers aged 15-19.

Most alarming is the fact that there were at least 2,000 10- to 14-year-old Filipinas who became
pregnant in 2017. There was also a 63% jump in the number of births delivered by 10- to 14-year-old
teenage mothers, in data that was compared from 2011 and 2018.

This rate of teen pregnancy in the Philippines reflects sexual abuse in minors. According to the
Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development Foundation, Inc., adolescent
reproductive health and teenage pregnancy is connected to sexual violence. POPCOM also reports that
130,000 teenage pregnancies were with fathers aged 20 years and above. Following this, teen
pregnancy is a phenomenon that must not be taken lightly.

There is still a social stigma with teenage pregnancy in the Philippines. More often, they are forced by
their families into marriage to avoid the shame of being an unwed mother. However, these usually
result in more stress inflicted on the mother emotionally, which increases the risk of maternal
complications. This may lead to low survival rates of both mother and child.

It further perpetuates cyclical poverty and economic inequality, as it prevents majority of teen parents
from continuing with their education.

The birth rate also contributes to overpopulation. Overpopulation stretches resources, and may force
families living under the poverty level to further disenfranchisement.

Why do we need to curb teen pregnancy in the Philippines?

A healthy teenage pregnancy is possible. However, most teenage pregnancies suffer from a multitude
of stressors, health risks, and other potential complications. Aside from the negative effects on the
physical and mental health of a teenage mom, teenage pregnancy has an economic effect on the
country.
As of 2019, the Philippine currently holds the top spot with regards to the number of teenage
pregnancies among the six major economies of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN.)
The Philippines continues to see a rise in the number of teenage pregnancies, whereas other countries
are seeing a decrease in theirs.

As of 2021, the proposed Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy Act is being pushed to pass into law. It
proposes the creation of a Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Council, and pushes for comprehensive sex
education and more social services for teen parents.Early pregnancy is one of the pressing issues
Filipino youths are facing today. The Philippines has one of the highest teenage pregnancy rates among
the ASEAN member states despite the decrease of total live births of teenage mothers (aged 10-19) in
2016 (203,085) to 183,000 in 2019. According to the Commission on Population and Development
(PopCom), the Philippines has recorded a 7% increase in births among girls aged 15 and below in
2019. Filipino minors who gave birth in 2019 increased to 62,510 from 62,341 in 2018. In 2019, 2,411
very young adolescents aged 10 to 14 gave birth, or almost seven every day. One in three births among
minors occurred in the three regions of Calabarzon with 8,008, National Capital Region with 7,546,
and Central Luzon with 7,523 births. Outside Luzon, the highest number of minors who gave birth
were in Northern Mindanao with 4,747 cases, Davao Region with 4,551, and Central Visayas with
4,541.

Early childbearing may result in poor health outcomes and may be a threat to the country’s economic
growth. Pregnant adolescents are less likely to complete higher education and have lesser ability to
earn more income over the course of a lifetime, causing economic losses to the country. According to
the National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS 2017) of the Philippine Statistics Authority
(PSA), the percentage of young women who have begun childbearing is lower in urban areas than in
rural areas (7% versus 10%). Young women with some primary education and those from the poorest
households are more likely to have begun childbearing than young women with higher education levels
and those from the wealthiest households.

Pregnancy during teenage years is also associated with a higher risk of health problems such as
preeclampsia, anemia, contracting STDs (sexually transmitted diseases), premature delivery,
postpartum hemorrhage, and poor mental health outcomes. Teenage mothers are more likely to
experience violence and depression that can increase the risk of mental disorders. Mothers with poor
maternal health are more likely to give birth to a low birth-weight baby, with inadequate
complementary feeding and breastfeeding, frequent infections, and inadequate food, health and care,
the low birth-weight baby will grow as a stunted child, a stunted teenager, and finally to a
malnourished pregnant woman who, in turn, has another low-birth-weight baby, and the cycle persists
through generations. Their body may compete with developing fetuses being carried for nutrition and
may not be psychologically ready to nurse babies after delivery since some pregnancy among teenagers
is either unintended or unwanted. Lack of knowledge on nutrition can also lead to poor health
outcomes.

Pregnancy can be a perfect time to improve nutrition. Adolescents can relate to specific foods better
than vague nutrients of which they have little knowledge. Pregnant adolescents have identified that
nutrition messages should include information on eating appropriately for the baby's and mother's
health, offer advice on foods for physical comfort, and emphasize specific foods rather than nutrients
(Skinner, Carruth, Ezell, & Shaw, 1996). During pregnancy, the body goes through lots of physical and
hormonal changes. To feed your growing baby, you need to make great food choices from a variety of
sources. Pregnant mothers especially those teenage mothers are recommended to eat a healthy and
balanced diet that will provide them and their babies need. The food you eat is your baby’s main source
of nourishment, so it’s very important to get all of the nutrients you need.

According to the World Health Organization, pregnancy and childbirth complications are the leading
causes of death among girls aged 15-19 years globally, with low and middle-income countries
accounting for 99% of global maternal deaths of women aged 15-49 years. Teenage pregnancy was
declared as “National Social Emergency'' in the Philippines. To curb the rise in teenage pregnancy
cases, the Commission on Population and Development (PopCom), Department of Social Welfare and
Development and Save the Children Philippines — an organization to support Filipino children,
together with other agencies, are looking forward to the swift passage of a bill that institutionalize a
national policy on teenage pregnancy prevention.