Pregnancy is a significant moment in a woman’s life, especially when it happens in a phase considered “ideal”. However, defining exactly what this period would be is challenging. On the other hand, it is possible to reflect on when pregnancy should be postponed. A few months ago, I read the report “”, published in this Sheet, On March 14 last year, which illustrates well the challenges faced by many girls in Brazil. Teenage pregnancy not only affects the young woman, but also has repercussions on her family and society.
To celebrate the National Week for the Prevention of Pregnancy in Adolescence, instituted by Law No. 13.798/2019, the This week launches a. The document presents data from SINASC (live birth system) for the period from 2005 to 2023. In 2005, Brazil recorded approximately 660,000 births of babies whose mothers were between 10 and 19 years old. Fortunately, in 2023, this number fell to about 300,000.
Adolescence pregnancy can occur for several reasons and is often associated with vulnerability dynamics. Among the factors involved are the lack of information, low access to contraceptives, the absence of adequate guidelines on reproductive health and limited future expectations.
In some cases, girls reproduce a family standard in which mothers and grandparents have also become pregnant in their teens. More serious situations include children’s marriage and a. Among the deliveries recorded in this age group, 4.5% involve girls from 10 to 14 years. By Brazilian law, these pregnancies are classified as vulnerable rape, since girls at this age do not have legal maturity to consent to sexual intercourse. In such cases, interruption of pregnancy is permitted by law.
Despite the fall observed over time, the numbers remain uneven between both the country’s regions and racial terms. The Northern Region, for example, concentrates 19.4% of births of mothers aged 10 to 19 years. In 2023, 64% of young mothers in this age group were black or brown.
Other negative impacts of teenage pregnancy are related to health problems for both young people and babies. Early pregnancy is associated with a higher risk of gestational complications, as well as increasing the likelihood of premature birth and maternal and fetal mortality.
One factor that seems to have contributed to reducing the fertility rate among these young women is the expansion of high school, especially in full high school. The longest time in school may have influenced the change in expectations regarding the future. According to the study of teachers Renata Narita (PUC/RJ) and Maria Dolores M. Dias (FEA/USP), ““the fall in early pregnancy explains part of the increase in the completion of high school and the participation of women in the labor market in Brazil. Other studies show that income transfer programs that condition the benefit to the school attendance of young people up to 17 may contribute to reducing the number of births between mothers from 10 to 19 years.
The advances observed between 2005 and 2023 are significant, but the incidence of teenage pregnancy is still high, making it essential to expand preventive measures. It is essential that public policies guarantee access to contraceptives, promote sex education and support these young women in all regions of the country, especially in those with higher incidence, so that the reduction of these numbers accelerates.
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