Teenage pregnancy rates remain very high in many parts of the world. In particular, rates are particularly high in Latin America. 95% of cases occur in developing countries.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), teenage pregnancy is defined as pregnancy that occurs among young people between 15 and 19 years of age. Most of these pregnancies are unwanted. Statistics tell us that births resulting from this type of pregnancy account for 11% of all pregnancies in the world.
Teenage pregnancy gives rise to a complex problem. Not only because it limits the normal development of adolescents towards maturity, but also because the children resulting from this type of pregnancy have a future that is, in most cases, very uncertain. That is why it is important to take into account some guidelines to deal with such a situation. These are some of them.
“ Young people have always had the same problem: how to be rebellious and conform at the same time .”
-Quentin Crisp-
Young people who have to deal with teenage pregnancy
Many young women who become pregnant as teenagers do not have the support of their families at first, who are overwhelmed by the news and choose to deny it. Thus, it is common that, at least during the first phase, they have to face the situation alone. Often they do not even have the support of their partner. Other times they do, but the partner is also another inexperienced young man.
How to deal with this situation? It is advisable to take the following actions:
- Visit a gynecologist. The course of your pregnancy should be evaluated. The risks involved and your general health should also be determined. The visit should be used to resolve any concerns about what will happen next.
- Seek psychological counseling . A psychologist is in a position to help the teenager organize her thoughts, plan the next steps, and lay the foundations for the decisions she must make. We are talking about someone who is impartial and will not judge.
- Talk to your partner . It is necessary for the mother and father to talk about decisions and expectations in the face of the new situation. Ideally, after a period of reflection, they will be able to agree on the most important steps.
- Informing the family . If the teenager decides to continue her pregnancy, it is necessary to inform the family . Their reaction in many cases will not be the best, but it is also true that in many cases, once the shock of the news has passed, they will be the best support and the best advisors that the teenagers can find.
The role of the parents of these teenagers
Teenage pregnancy is often a shocking news for parents . Most of them expect their children to accumulate more experiences before facing this vital stage. At this age, most children are still dependent on their parents, both financially and emotionally. Therefore, an early pregnancy is a situation in which they are also involved regardless of their will.
Some recommended strategies for parents would be:
- Stay calm . Many people are overcome by the anxiety that this news causes and become angry with their children. They even become aggressive, which does not help but makes the situation worse.
- Listen to your children . It is important to know what your children think. How they see the situation and what it means to them. It is important not to judge them: the pregnancy, whether it was a mistake or not, continues its course.
- Recognize feelings . That is, identify the emotions that have arisen from the news. In many cases they can be contradictory: on the one hand, sadness that can arise from the feeling that your child has conditioned his future in this way, guilt for not having taken the means to prevent it from happening, or joy for what it means to be grandparents. These emotions can mix together and cause parents to feel very lost as well.
- Listen, offer help and don’t give in to the temptation of trying to have the last word . It is the children, and only they, who should make the most important decisions. Parents can support, suggest and give their opinion, but never take the initiative (unless the teenager is very young or the situation requires it due to other circumstances).
A matter of prevention
Major sexual education campaigns have been launched in most schools and through the media . Society, albeit slowly and hesitantly, is leaving behind the myths and obscurity surrounding sexuality . Both the educational system and parents are beginning to understand that the best way to prevent unwanted pregnancies is through information. Thus, if the teenager is the one who will ultimately end up making decisions about sexuality, our role as parents is to help him or her do so wisely.
On the other hand, it is also worth asking why there are teenagers who, although well informed, end up having an unwanted pregnancy . One possible answer is that they do not have the means at their disposal to avoid it. Another possible factor is the lack of self-control at certain times when excitement can be very high. Finally, for some, it is a way of claiming that they are older than their environment considers them.
In one way or another, studies tell us that parenthood is a wonderful adventure, process or challenge when the maturity of the people who face it is in line with the decision. This does not mean that children of teenage parents are born doomed, but that on paper they have a greater probability of finding themselves in a vulnerable situation .
