Indian Journal of Pediatrics, Volume 74—October, 2007 927 Original Article Correspondence and Reprint requests : Dr. Ashok Kumar, Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi – 221005, India [Received : November 1, 2006; Accepted March 28, 2007] Outcome of Teenage Pregnancy Ashok Kumar, Tej Singh, Sriparna Basu, Sulekha Pandey 1 and V. Bhargava Departments of Pediatrics and 1 Obstetrics, Institute of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India ABSTRACT Objective. The objective of the study was to evaluate the obstetric, fetal and neonatal outcomes of teenage pregnancy in a tertiary care teaching hospital. Methods. A retrospective case control study was performed over a period of 5 years. Data were retrieved from hospital records. All teenage mothers (aged 13-19 completed years at delivery) delivering in the University Hospital were taken as cases. Next 3 consecutive deliveries in the age group of 20-30 year were selected as controls for each case. For statistical analysis the cases were further subdivided into 2 groups, ≤17 years (Group A) and 18 -19 years (Group B). Groups were compared for obstetric complications and neonatal outcome. Statistical analysis was done by software package SPSS 10. Results. The incidence of teenage deliveries in hospital over last 5 years was 4.1%. Majority of the teenagers were primigravida (83.2% vs. 41.4%, p<0.01). Complications like pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH) (11.4% vs 2.2%, p<0.01), pre-eclamptic toxemia (PET) (4.3% vs 0.6%, p<0.01) eclampsia (4.9% vs 0.6%, p<0.01) and premature onset of labor (26.1% vs 14.6%, p<0.01) occurred more commonly in teenagers compared to controls. Teenage mothers also had increased incidence of low birth weight (LBW) (50.4% vs 32.3%, p<0.01), premature delivery (51.8% vs 17.5%, p<0.01) and neonatal morbidities like perinatal asphyxia (11.7% vs 1.9%, p<0.01), jaundice (5.7% vs 1.2%, p<0.01) and respiratory distress syndrome (1.9% vs 0.3%, p<0.05). Teenage pregnancy was also associated with higher fetal (1.9% vs 0.3%, p<0.05) and neonatal mortality (3.8% vs 0.5%, p<0.05). Conclusion. Teenage pregnancy was associated with a significantly higher risk of PIH, PET, eclampsia, premature onset of labor, fetal deaths and premature delivery. Increased neonatal morbidity and mortality were also seen in babies delivered to teenage mothers. Younger teenager group (≤17 years) was most vulnerable to adverse obstetric and neonatal outcomes. [Indian J Pediatr 2007; 74 (10) : 927-931] E-mail: ashokkumar_bhu@hotmail.com Key words : Neonatal outcome; Obstetric outcome; Teenage pregnancy Teenage pregnancy is coming up as one of the most important social and public health problems all over the world with a varying prevalence rate. In recent years the incidence is increasing due to early onset of puberty, early sexual activity in girls and relative lack of education on contraceptive methods. Although adolescent marriage is a cognizable offence in India, it is still a common practice in many parts of the country. A high fertility rate, social customs, poverty and ignorance make early marriage a common feature in this part of the world. The teenage period itself constitutes a high risk group requiring high priority services. It is well known that teenagers face greater risks of pregnancy than the women in their adulthood. 1,2 There is paucity of recent data regarding the outcome of teenage pregnancy from this region. In the present study we have evaluated the maternal, fetal and neonatal outcomes of teenage pregnancies in a teaching hospital over a period of five years. MATERIALS AND METHOD A retrospective case control study was conducted in the University Hospital, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi over a period of 5 years. Data were retrieved from hospital records. The objective was to evaluate the obstetric, fetal and neonatal outcomes of teenage pregnancy. Teenage pregnancy was defined as pregnancy occurring between the maternal ages of 13-19 completed years at delivery. All teenage mothers attending the University Hospital for delivery were taken up consecutively as cases. For each case next 3 consecutive singleton deliveries in the age group of 20-30 year were selected as controls. Detailed medical, obstetric and 41