Pregnancy during adolescence: Wanted vs. unwanted

Pregnancy among adolescents is an important problem in most developing countries. The phenomenon in Brazil seems numerically stable for the age group from 15 to 19 years old, with a trend of increase in the first segment of adolescence, below 15. The majority of pregnancies are unwanted, with medical, psychological and mainly social repercussions. The disadvantages are clearer for multipara adolescents. The main immediate consequences of an unwanted pregnancy are: induced abortion, lack of prenatal care, personal and family disruption, adoption and abandonment. Some intervention policies are suggested for the reduction of this phenomenon through programs of sexual education, services for special care of adolescents, access to orientation and contraceptive methods, and support for the pregnancies to be carried on until term. (C) 1998 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics.