Mothers aged 14-19 account for roughly 480,000, or 24 percent, of Mexico's 2 million annual births, authorities said. The figures were provided by Alejandro Rosas Solis, deputy director of sexual and reproductive health at the health secretariat's National Center for Equity, Gender and Reproductive Health. "A teen pregnancy is considered high risk due to the immaturity of the (adolescent's) body, which puts them at risk of pre-eclampsia or haemorrhages, conditions that are among the main causes of maternal mortality," the expert said. He said teen pregnancies also have negative repercussions for the health of the newborn, including low birth weight and immature lungs and temperature regulation systems, which can endanger the child's life. Over the long term, teen mothers often find their life ambitions stymied because they must abandon their studies to raise the child and later have limited employment prospects. "More than 60 percent of teen pregnancies are unplanned" by the couples, many of whom do not use condoms or other forms of birth control. "The lack of use of some method of contraception in the first sexual relationship increases the risk of having unplanned pregnancies and contracting sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV/AIDS," the secretariat said. Rosas Solis therefore called for greater funding for programmes that provide information and attention to young people. "We need to talk with our children about sexuality because it's an essential aspect of human beings. It's important to tell teenagers that all sexual behavior has repercussions so they make informed decisions," the expert said .
GMT 18:35 2018 Thursday ,11 January
Syrian refugee sets himself ablaze at UN office in LebanonGMT 18:48 2018 Tuesday ,09 January
Novo Nordisk woos Belgian nano-drug makerGMT 17:54 2017 Wednesday ,27 December
Medical evacuations begin from besieged Syria rebel bastionGMT 12:14 2017 Monday ,25 December
MoHAP successfully conducts cochlear implant operationGMT 18:24 2017 Sunday ,24 December
Palestinian conjoined twins arrive in RiyadhGMT 19:05 2017 Monday ,18 December
new! magazine names fitness & food editorGMT 17:03 2017 Wednesday ,29 November
Spain reports case of 'mad cow disease'GMT 14:05 2017 Saturday ,11 November
EU can't agree on new licence for controversial glyphosate weedkiller
Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2025 ©
Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2025 ©
Send your comments
Your comment as a visitor