Characteristics of the mother and child in teenage pregnancy.

As shown in 11,464 black and white pregnant teenagers and 28,477 older pregnant women, teenage mothers tend to be of small stature and weight, consistent with age and early maturation. The small size of their infants is in proportion to their smaller size and not to their early age at conception. Although the progeny of teenage mothers show a higher incidence of prematurity and diminished birth size, in the extent of fetal loss, low Apgar and Bayley scores, and in the frequency of medical abnormalities, they are not at a disadvantage compared with infants of third-decade mothers of comparable size.