Obstetric and Neonatal Outcomes of Teenage Pregnancies at Nakhonpathom Hospital

Abstract

Objective: To compare obstetric and neonatal outcomes between teenage (age <20 years old) and adult (20–35 years old) pregnancies at Nakhonpathom Hospital, specifically in preterm birth and small for gestational age.

Methods: This retrospective chart review was conducted by collecting birth data during 1 October 2023 until 30 September 2024. A total cases of 3,003 pregnant women were collected. Then 198 Thai teenage pregnant women (age <20 years) and 592 Thai adult pregnant women (age between 20–35 years) were randomly collected in this study. The demographic, obstetric and neonatal outcome data were collected from electronic patient records and were analyzed by descriptive and statistical analyses including student t test, chi-square test, and odds ratio OR.

Results: According to the study, the teenage birth rate was 8.4%. The average age of teenage pregnant women was 17.4 ± 1.61 years, while the average age of adult pregnant women was 26.99 ± 4.11 years. There was no statistically significant difference in the rate of preterm birth between the two groups, with rates of 10.1% and 7.6% in teenagers and adults respectively (χ² = 1.228; p = .295). In the teenage group, 25.3% were found to have a body mass index (BMI) below 18.5 kg/m², compared to 8.8% in the adult group (χ² = 48.043; p < .001). Among pregnant teenagers, 94.4% were experiencing their first pregnancies, compared to 41.6% in adult women (χ² = 167.576, p < .001). Anemia during pregnancies (hematocrit <33%) was also more common in teenagers (32.8%) than in adults (17.2%); (χ² = 21.656; p < .001). Cesarean section rates were 26.8% in teenagers and 41.6% in adults (χ² = 16.068; p < .001). Intrauterine growth restriction, low birth weight (1,500–2,500 grams), and small for gestational age (SGA) infants were found in 6.1%, 12.6%, and 22.2% of teenage pregnancies, respectively, compared to 1.5%, 7.6%, and 11.1% in adult pregnancies (χ² = 11.821; p = .001 vs. χ² = 8.963; p = .030 vs. χ² = 20.268; p < .001 respectively). Neonatal hypoglycemia occurred in 6.6% of teenage births versus 15.4% in adult births (χ² = 10.065; p = .001), while neonatal anemia occurred in 5.6% of infants born to teenagers, compared to 1.9% in those born to adult women (χ² = 7.493; p = .011). However, there were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in terms of gestational weight gain, number of antenatal visits, syphilis infection, gestational hypertension, use of dexamethasone, birth asphyxia, neonatal respiratory distress, neonatal jaundice, or neonatal sepsis.

Conclusion: When compared to adult pregnancies, teenage pregnancies at Nakhonpathom Hospital had no statistically significant difference in the rate of preterm birth, but higher rates of intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), low birth weight, and small for gestational age (SGA) infants.