Hospital-based perinatal outcomes and complications in teenage pregnancy in India

Teenage pregnancy is a worldwide problem bearing serious social and medical implications relating to maternal and child health. a cross-sectional observational study was undertaken to compare the different sociodemographic characteristics and perinatal outcomes of teenage primigravida mothers with those of adult primigravida mothers in a tertiary-care hospital in eastern india. a sample of 350 each in cases and comparison group comprised the study subjects. data were collected through interviews and by observations using a pretested and predesigned schedule. results revealed that the teenage mothers had a higher proportion (27.7%) of preterm deliveries compared to 13.1% in the adult mothers and had low-birth-weight babies (38.9% vs 30.4% respectively). stillbirth rate was also significantly higher in teenage deliveries (5.1% vs 0.9% respectively). the teenage mothers developed more adverse perinatal complications,such as preterm births,stillbirths,neonatal deaths,and delivered low-birthweight babies,when compared with those of the adult primigravida mothers. teenage pregnancy is still a rampant and important public-health problem in india with unfavourable perinatal outcomes and needs to be tackled on a priority basis. © international centre for diarrhoeal disease research,bangladesh.