Pregnancy in adolescence

Abstract

This research is an attempt to understand the problem of early pregnancy from teenager’s point of view. It aims at understanding how the pregnant teenager feels about such an experience. Fifteen pregnant young women, 14 to 19 years old, attended to in a Health Unit, are the subjects of the research. A question was asked these teenagers: What does experiencing teenage pregnancy mean to you? Data revealed that teenage pregnancy impairs a good professional formation; nurtures deep disruptions in the family, especially of an emotional character; brings together two serious crises, or rather, the adaptation phase of adolescence and the experiencing of early pregnancy. Teenage pregnancy has physical, cultural, economical, social and emotional repercussions. Teenagers’ interviews show the extreme need of prevention, orientation and information programs regarding early pregnancy, contraceptive methods, childbirth, sexuality and others