What Causes Teenage Pregnancy |
In many cultures of the world, teenage pregnancy is defined as a girl becoming pregnant before she attains the age of legal adulthood. Interestingly, some developing countries and ethnic groups even celebrate early teenage pregnancy, as it is a clear sign that the young girl is fertile and perfectly capable of bearing children. Generally speaking, though, a girl falling pregnant before she attains adulthood is looked down upon as a shame or blight by society at large.
What Causes Teenage Pregnancy?
Teen pregnancy could be caused by very many factors, such as those listed below:
Lack of proper knowledge about sex or the absence of sex education is one of the prime causes of teenage pregnancy. There is a huge influx of hormones during puberty and this causes emotions to rage and fluctuate among adolescents. Their new-found sexuality, teamed with a sense of rebellion, could cause many teens to have sex without consideration for safety or precautionary methods.
Teenagers living in some developed countries face enormous peer pressure to start dating and have sex from a very young age. This kind of promiscuous behavior sometimes leads to unwanted teenage pregnancy.
Failure of contraceptives is a very common cause of teen conception. Lack of knowledge of how to use contraceptives such as birth control pill and condoms, or improper use of the same, can lead to pregnant teens.
Several studies indicate that the home environment could affect a teen’s development and even indicate how likely they would be to have a pregnant teenager. It has been seen that women who go through abuse and familial strife at a very young age are more prone to becoming teen mothers, than teenagers who grow up in a close-knit, loving, family setup.
Whatever the reasons for teenage pregnancy, this event can be highly traumatic, both physically and emotionally, on the expectant teen. Many countries of the world are now trying to take adequate steps to curb teen pregnancy. Educating teens about the consequences of unsafe sex, propagating the regular use of condoms and other birth control measures, they hope, will help vastly reduce the chances of young mothers in the near future.
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