Objective: To compare the obstetric complications and mode of delivery between adolescent pregnancies and pregnancies of women over 20 years.
Design: A prospective study of all pregnant mothers delivered at General Hospital, Anuradhapura during a period of two years from January 1993.
Subjects: 1600 pregnant adolescents and 14699 pregnant women over 20 years.
Results: The percentage of adolescent pregnancies during this period was 9.8%. The incidence of pregnancy induced hypertension among adolescent women was 2.3% and 2.2% in women over 20 years. The still birth rate was 2.4% in adolescent pregnancies and 2.2% in women over 20 years. The incidence of breech presentation was 2.2% in both groups. There was a statistically significant difference (P < 0.001) in the incidence of low birth weight among live births between adolescents (33.6%) and women over 20 years (22.7%). Adolescent women had a caesarean section rate of 7% and a forceps delivery rate of 2.3% compared to 11.4% and 2.0% in mothers over 20 years, a statistically significant difference.
Conclusions: Adolescent women were not at an increased risk for pregnancy induced hypertension, still birth or breech presentation. The incidence of low birth weight and normal vaginal delivery were significantly higher among adolescent women.