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BY RSEEL JOY TIANERO
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Friday, June 2, 2017
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ILOILO City – Life can be tough, or even fatal, for pregnant teenagers.
They risk not being able to finish their studies and some may even die giving birth, warned the Department of Health (DOH) Region 6.
Last year, DOH-6 recorded 82 maternal deaths and four of these were teenagers.
One of the four teenage mothers was 12 years old, said Dr. Mary Ann Matillano, medical officer III of DOH- 6.
Of the four teenage maternal deaths, two were from Iloilo province. The other two were from Negros Occidental.
Teenagers should not rush into premarital sex without thinking of the consequences, said Matillano.
The 12-year-old mother from Iloilo died of preeclampsia – a pregnancy complication characterized by high blood pressure and signs of damage to another organ system, most often the liver and kidneys.
Adolescents better finish their studies first, said Matillano.
Teenage parents may find it hard to find stable jobs to support their children if they have not finished their students, she explained.
Practice family planning, Matillano advised teenage parents so as not to further complicate their already difficult situation.
In this city, a total of 691 teenage girls between 10 to 19 years old got pregnant last year, data from the City Population Office (CPO) showed.
Teenage pregnancy has a lot of causes, according to Florence Galanto, team leader of CPO’s Adolescent Health and Development Program. Among these were curiosity, rebellion to parental authorities, lack of information or guidance from parents, physical satisfaction, and peer pressure.
Stillbirths and death in the first week of life are 50 percent higher among babies born to mothers younger than 20 years than among babies born to mothers between 20 to 29 years old, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Deaths during the first month of life are 50 to 100 percent more frequent if the mother is an adolescent versus older, and the younger the mother, the higher the risk, stressed WHO.
The rates of preterm birth, low birth weight and asphyxia are higher among the children of adolescents, all of which increase the chance of death and of future health problems for the baby, according to WHO.
According to WHO, many girls who become pregnant have to leave school. This has long-term implications for them as individuals, their families and communities./PN
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