From September 21 to 26, Latin America commemorates Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Week, a key date to take action on the challenges to prevent and reduce teenage pregnancy figures, as well as to raise awareness of its consequences.
According to data from the Ministry of Health (Minsa), in the first four months of 2023, more than 3 thousand cases of teenage pregnancy have been registered in Peru, with the regions of Lima, Loreto and Piura leading the list of incidences.
Also, according to the 2021 Demographic and Family Health Survey (ENDES), two out of every three teenage pregnancies in the country are unplanned, which evidences the seriousness of the situation.
If we expand the panorama, this problem translates into around 16 million pregnant adolescents between the ages of 15 and 19 in the world, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). These figures underscore the magnitude of the challenge we face in preventing teenage pregnancy in Peru, a problem associated with a series of risks to the health and well-being of both young mothers and their children.
Barriers and consequences of teenage pregnancy
The main barriers to addressing this problem include limited access to comprehensive health care and contraceptive methods. The Technical health standard for comprehensive adolescent health care includes benefits such as sexual and reproductive health counseling, provision of contraceptive methods or pregnancy termination at the request of the adolescent.
However, specific actions are needed to fully implement the strategies already outlined in the Technical Standard, as well as a larger budget for prevention and promotion. “Likewise, involving adolescents in activities that are not only aimed at them, but also at their support network such as their parents or teachers, through education, would help to have better results,” specifies Milagros Dueñas, coordinator of the SES maternal health project.
Adolescent pregnancy has a series of consequences both in the short and long term on the life projects and educational development possibilities mainly of women. “According to a report published by UNFPA and Plan International, teenage pregnancy and childbearing contribute to the intergenerational transmission of poverty, vulnerability and gender inequality,” explains the specialist.
Recently we carried out a comprehensive health campaign aimed at adolescents in the IE José M. Arguedas de Carabayllo.
Other repercussions as a result of this problem include:
Cycle of poverty: when young women do not complete their education as a result of pregnancy, this also restricts their opportunities to access the labor market, which will have repercussions on the conditions in which their son or daughter will grow up, dragging these limitations with them.
Emotional and psychological health: teenage pregnancy can have a significant impact on the emotional and psychological health of young mothers, increasing the risk of depression and anxiety. “In Peru, teenage pregnancy occurs mostly in the most impoverished families, where it is often difficult for there to be a stable support and containment figure for that teenager, which often aggravates attachment conflicts and feelings of loneliness, thus contributing to emotional imbalance,” explains Milagros Dueñas.
Other health risks: adolescents face a higher risk of medical complications during pregnancy and childbirth, such as anemia, hypertension or gestational diabetes.
Strengthening adolescent health and well-being
To address adolescent pregnancy in Peru, it is essential to adopt a comprehensive health approach effectively, ensuring access to quality sexual and reproductive health services, promoting awareness of the risks of adolescent pregnancy and, finally, empowering adolescents to make informed decisions and have control over their sexual health and future.
The activity was developed in the framework of the Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Week, in conjunction with Diris Lima Norte and Centro Materno Infantil El Progreso.
Through the TEENAGERS project of the SES Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Program (SAMIA), we seek to improve adolescents’ access to timely care at the health facility, through community strategies and articulated work with the Adolescent Life Stage Strategy of the health facilities.
Within these strategies is the training of peer leaders to identify adolescents in the community who have not accessed comprehensive care or present health problems. Another strategy is community accompaniment to achieve access and adherence to treatment if required by the adolescent. By bringing the adolescent closer to quality health care in a differentiated spacing, we ensure that they receive information and education on healthy sexuality, in addition to access to contraceptive methods, thus breaking the health care inequality for this vulnerable population.