Comparison of pregnancy and labour in teenagers and primigravidas aged 21-25 years in Transkei.

The outcome of pregnancy and labour in 601 primigravidas aged 19 years and under was compared with that of 221 primigravidas aged 21-25 years. The risks of antenatal complications, such as anaemia, haemorrhage and pre-eclampsia, were the same in both groups. The much-published low birth weight of babies born to teenagers was not observed; the weights of the babies in the two groups were similar. The caesarean section rates of 12% and 15% for the study and control groups, respectively, compared very well with the rate in the general obstetric population, indicating that the risk of cephalopelvic disproportion (the commonest indication for caesarean section) is the same among all primigravidas, whatever their age. The perinatal mortality rate was, however, slightly higher among the teenagers (58,2/1,000) than among the older mothers (40,7/1,000), although the difference was not statistically significant. Therefore the notion held by many people who practise midwifery that teenage mothers are, because of their age alone, more disadvantaged in terms of obstetric performance, is not absolutely true.