Risk of maternal and fetal complications in pregnant teenagers in comparison to adults, a cohort study

Background: Teenage pregnancy has been considered to have a higher risk than pregnancy in an adult, because of biological immaturity of the teenager, so it is a contributing factor to high maternal and prenatal complications. Aims of the study: To identify sociodemographic characteristics of teenage pregnant mothers, and to compare obstetrical and medical complications, types of delivery, and fetal outcomes of teenage mothers with that of adult mothers. Patients and Methods: A hospital based retro- prospective cohort study was conducted at Al-Zahraa Teaching Hospital for Maternity and Children in Al-Najaf Governorate /Iraq from June 1st to September 30th 2015.The study group included 150 pregnant teenagers aged 13-19 years, and the comparable group included 150 pregnant women aged between 20 and 35 years.Data included socio-demographic characteristics, antenatal care (ANC), medical and obstetrical complications, mode of delivery, and fetal outcome. Results: There is a statistically significant difference (p 0.05) between the two groups in terms of severe anemia, hypertension, postpartum haemorrhage, preterm labor, post term labor, low birth weight, fetal distress, meconium aspiration syndrome and admission to neonatal care unit. Conclusions: The study shows that medical problems complicating pregnancy and bad fetal outcomes are higher in teenager mothers.