Adolescent pregnancy

Hey friends,

As you know, there can be problems with adolescent pregnancy once our reproductive system can do its job and we have unprotected sex due to our own sexual impulses and pressures around us. Will our lives be pleasant and fun when we face this sort of matter?

Adolescent pregnancy means getting pregnant before the age of eighteen.

Guys,

Let’s take a look at each of these pictures to understand what kind of issues and dangers can fall on us if we face with this problem.

• Being looked down upon(distained) by the people around us due to certain social norms.
• Dreams and goals in lives are likely to get lost due to the inconvenience of continuing one’s studies.
• Marriage can become problematic due to young age and immaturity to understand each other.
• Marriage can become unpleasant due to a young age and having little experience of making a good living, which can lead to financial problems.

When young people face this kind of problem, we tend to choose to walk on the wrong path of getting rid of the pregnancy or unsafe abortion.

When we do this –

• Loss of life due to too much bleeding
• Chill, fever, and blood poisoning due to infection
• Loss of life due to tetanus infection
• Loss of life due to uterine rupture
• Infertility (Not being able to conceive)

If not this and if the pregnancy continues, there could be –

• Preterm birth (being born too early and the baby may not be fully developed)
• Having anemia (low hemoglobin) and blurred eyes
• Extremely nauseous, and having a puffy face, hands and legs
• Severe headache
• Loss of life due to preeclampsia or toxemia (high blood pressure protein in urine, and swelling in legs, feet and hands in pregnant women)
• Having difficulty and taking longer with delivering a baby
• Too much bleeding during a baby’s delivery time, which can cause loss of life
• Umbilical cord abnormalities

Therefore, it is very important that young people prepare and prevent them ahead of time in order to avoid such terrible situations.

How do we prevent it?

• If possible, avoid having sexual intercourse before marriage. If this is not possible, use contraceptive pills systematically and correctly.
• Avoiding drugs and alcohol that can change mental clarity
• Having general useful health knowledge and living accordingly to that knowledge
• Choosing a good and healthy environment
• Choosing and making the right decisions and keeping yourself safe by avoiding risky behaviors

If so, you guys now understand a very common issue that can be caused in an adolescent life. In the face of this kind of issue happening, we often blame it on females (in our society). In fact, this sort of issue does not arise just because of someone’s behavior. It arises from both male and female. We just need to take it seriously. We need to pause, think and behave wisely. We don’t want to do things that will be harmful to ourselves, our futures, and the people around us.

Ref: ASRH content by the Myanmar Medical Association (MMA)