Abstract

The pregnancy rate among teenagers has increased overall in the past years in most industrial countries, especially in urban population. The aim of our study was to estimate the incidence of adolescent deliveries in Szczecin population and to analyze problems associated with maternity in teenagers (adolescent childbearing).The study population consists of 90 teenagers, the control group contains 2707 adult women delivered between Jan. 1, 2000 and Dec. 31, 2000 at two Obstetrics Clinics of Pomeranian Academy of Medicine and Municipal Hospital in Szczecin. Data on outcomes for children of adolescents were obtained from hospital documentation and anonymous questionnaires. Findings show that newborns of adolescents suffer many negative complications and problems and that pregnancy in adolescents is a clear risk for abnormal outcomes. Special programs for pregnancy prevention and intervention in adolescents should be prepared.