Teenage pregnancy in the Rotunda Hospital
Connolly, G.; Kennelly, S.; Conroy, R.; Byrne, P.
Irish Medical Journal 91(6): 209-212
1998
ISSN/ISBN: 0332-3102 PMID: 10069131 Document Number: 494787
To assess the effect of young maternal age on pregnancy outcomes, the records of 2228 adolescents 14-19 years of age who delivered at the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin, Ireland, during 1992-96 were reviewed. This series represented 17.2% of adolescent pregnancies in Ireland during the study period. 224 women (10.1%) were 14-17 years of age. 10.5% of adolescent mothers were multiparous. Spontaneous vaginal deliveries occurred in 71.25% of 14-16 year olds and in 69.1% of 17-19 year olds. The rate of preterm delivery among teenagers was 13.8% (15.8% in 14-16 year olds and 14.7% in those 17-19 years old)--significantly higher than the 10.2% rate among women 20-24 years old. However, adverse pregnancy outcomes such as low birth weight and low Apgar scores were not significantly more frequent among teenage mothers. These findings fail to provide support for the view that teenagers have poorer obstetric and neonatal outcomes than adult mothers do.