Teenage Pregnancy

Mentally, the young mother is not an adult yet, either. Parts of the brain that aid in decision making and logic are not fully developed until around age 19. This, coupled with the fact that a young mother has less education and real-world experience than an older woman, means that pregnant teens don't always make the best decisions for themselves and their unborn children. Furthermore, pregnancy at any age is a life-altering event. But during the teen years, pregnancy means that many typical experiences and opportunities are missed--high school graduation, college, general freedom of choice. Young mothers must grow up quickly, taking on responsibilities that they may not be fully prepared to fulfill. In this respect, development must be accelerated to meet the challenges of parenthood
Emotional Effects

Many teens that get pregnant become scared and panicked. Confusion about the right decision to make for herself and her child, resentment of the child’s father and fear about giving birth may all cause her a great deal of stress. This, combined with the hormones from her changing body, may result in a very erratic and unhealthy emotional state. She may also be frustrated that she can no longer participate in activities with her friends and frightened that she will be a poor mother or that her parents will react badly.
Birth and Post-Birth Issues

More than half of teenage pregnancies continue to birth. According to a researcher at the Transnational Family Research Institute, teenage mothers are at a high risk of experiencing depression, birth complications, toxemia, anemia and even death. Teenage girls are often not emotionally prepared for childbirth or being a mother and can experience extreme depression, anxiety, resentment and feelings of