OBSTETRIC OUTCOME OF TEENAGE PREGNANCIES

A retrospective cohort study was performed in a tertiary centre to det ermine if teenage nulliparas (aged less than or equal to 19 years, stu dy group) had higher incidences of instrumental and Caesarean deliveri es compared with nulliparas aged 20-34 years (control group) selected from the first women in the birth registry who delivered after each st udy case and satisfying the criteria for controls. The hospital record s of the study and control cases were retrieved for review Comparison was made in the maternal demographics, major antenatal complications, outcome of labour, mode of delivery, and perinatal outcome. In the stu dy group, maternal height was similar but the body mass index was lowe r. Although the mean birthweight was lower and the incidences of prete rm labour and small-for-gestational-age infants higher, there were als o increased incidences of large-for-gestational-age and macrosomic inf ants. While there was no difference in the types of labour, there were fewer Caesar ean and instrumental deliveries, a finding that persiste d even after excluding the preterm deliveries. Lastly, teenage mothers aged <17 years had similar outcomes to those aged 17-19 years. These results indicated that teenage mothers had better obstetric outcomes, despite the higher incidence of preterm labour, and that young adolesc ents (<17 years) performed as well as their older peers.