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Can be fatal for both mother and child
Although medical risks exist during pregnancy at any age, the
risks increase among women under age 16. This is because the
pelvis of a younger woman often is not fully developed. A small
pelvis is one condition that can result in obstructed or prolonged
labor. This may in turn lead to complications such as infection,
hemorrhage, or fistulas, which are openings in the wall between
the vagina and the bladder or rectum. It may also lead to death
for the infant or the mother.
In addition, first pregnancies at any age carry greater risks
than second or third pregnancies, and many first pregnancies
occur at a young age. This higher risk is due to the possibility
of developing hypertensive disorders during pregnancy. These
disorders include pregnancy-induced hypertension and preeclampsia,
a condition in which a combination of increased blood pressure,
edema, or swelling, and protein in the urine may be present.
Preeclampsia and pregnancy-induced hypertension are conditions
that can lead to uterine bleeding or hemorrhage. They can also
lead to eclampsia, with symptoms such as coma and convulsions.
Without prompt treatment, bleeding and eclampsia can be fatal
to the mother and infant.
Young mothers have a higher incidence of premature labor, miscarriage
and stillbirth. Their infants weigh less at birth and experience
higher rates of mortality and morbidity. A study of 20,000 births
in Mali and Burkina Faso, for example, found that adolescents
were 45 percent more likely than older women to have infants
of low birthweight, and children of teenagers faced a 35 percent
greater risk of dying in their first two years of life, even
after socioeconomic and demographic factors were taken into
account.
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