A teenage girl is one aged between 13 and 19 years. This period witnesses rapid and far reaching changes both physically and psychologically in girls. They begin to develop breasts and also become aware of themselves as women; thus attracting the attention of males.
1.Teenage Pregnancy
One of the greatest problems of teenage females is teenage pregnancy; this is defined as pregnancy before the age of 20 years. This could be due to lack of experience, lack of knowledge, rape and other forms of sexual assault.
2.Maternal Deaths
Studies have shown that girls aged 15-19 years are twice as likely to die from childbirth as are women in their twenties.
Also, girls aged less than 15 years are five (5) times more likely to die from child birth than women in their twenties.
This may be due to the following reasons: teenage girls are not physically and psychologically ready for pregnancy, poor knowledge on ante–natal or lack of knowledge, poverty, neglect by family and society, poor access to healthcare system.
3.Low Contraceptive Usage
Studies have shown that the use of contraceptives among teenage girls is very low yet they could be very sexually active. This is largely due to poor knowledge. Parents are reluctant to discuss sexuality with their teenage daughters, consequently the little knowledge obtained is from peer group.
4.Unsafe abortion
Teenage girls are more exposed to unsafe abortions. Unsafe abortion is the termination of unwanted pregnancy either by unqualified persons or in an environment lacking minimal surgical standards or both.
Pregnant teenage girls are usually at a loss as regards where to go for an abortion; may not have the money because the teenage male usually responsible denies the pregnancy, she is in most cases sent out by the parents and also jobless.
Consequently she looks for the cheapest method of removal either surgically or medically, that is when a quack comes in.
Parents should be supportive in such situations as the teenager could still turn out to be very successful in life.
5.High prevalence of Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Teenage girls aged 15-19 years have higher incidence of sexually transmitted diseases than women in their twenties. This is due to poor knowledge of such diseases and the use of condoms.
6.Premature birth
One of the known causes of premature birth is age, pregnancies of females below 19 years of age more likely to end in premature birth than of females in their twenties.
Premature babies have several problems.
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