Prevalence of Repeat Pregnancy Including Pregnancy Outcome of Teenage Women

Abstract

Objective: To determine the prevalence and possible factors of repeat teenage pregnancy including their pregnancy outcomes compared to primi-gravida teenage pregnancy.
Methods: 1,684 medical records of teenage pregnancy delivered or received termination of pregnancy at Siriraj hospital from July 2009 to June 2011 were reviewed. The characteristics and pregnancy outcomes of primi- and multi-gravida teenage pregnancies were studied and compared between groups.
Results: The prevalence of repeat pregnancies among the study population was around 20% (338/1,684). Age of multi-gravida teenagers and their husbands were significantly higher than those of primi-gravida. Only 5% of primigravida and 25% of multi-gravida were documented as using contraception before getting pregnant (p < 0.001). Oral contraceptive was the most common method using in both groups. Multi-gravida teenagers were significantly diagnosed as anemia before delivery or termination of pregnancy (p = 0.03), although immediate pregnancy outcomes among the two groups were not significantly different. Before they were discharged from the hospital, less than half
of them got immediate contraceptive methods especially long-acting reversible contraception.
Conclusion: The prevalence of repeat pregnancy among teenagers at Siriraj Hospital was approximately 20%. Lack of proper contraception might be the factor related to repeat pregnancy. Although immediate pregnancy outcomes among primi-and multi-gravida teenagers were not significantly different, long term outcomes of both teenage mothers and their children were still limited.