Search

Objective: Adolescent pregnancies give rise to high maternal and fetal risk. In our study, we aimed to compare the obstetric and neonatal outcomes of adolescent and non-adolescent pregnancies. Methods: This study included pregnant women who gave birth between 2018 and 2021 at Necmettin Erbakan University Faculty of Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department. The study included 15 to 19-year-old pregnant women, and the control group was 20 to 34, in which age-related complications are known to be the lowest. Multiple pregnancies decreased birth weight and increased preterm delivery risk, so they were excluded from the study, along with patients with incomplete data. Participants’ socio-demographic and obstetric characteristics were retrospectively reviewed and determined by analyzing delivery records and patient files. The data was analyzed using the SPSS 26, whereas age, gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia and APGAR scores were correlated using Pearson or Spearman correlation analyses. The study used 0.05 p-value. Results: The age, gravidity, parity, abortion and educational level of adolescent pregnancies were significantly lower than in the normal age group (p=0.001 for all parameters). The rates of pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes and preterm prelabor rapture of membranes were lower in adolescent pregnancies (p=0.044, p=0.010, p=0.044, respectively), while the rates of fetal growth restriction and fetal distress were higher (p=0.016 and p=0.010). The rate of vaginal delivery was lower and the rate of vaginal delivery with episiotomy was higher in adolescent pregnancies (p<0.05). There were significant correlations between age, gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia. ROC analysis showed that the risk of complications in adolescent pregnancies varies with age and is higher in pregnancies under 18.5 years. Conclusion: Adolescent pregnancies differ from those of normal age in some parameters of maternal and neonatal outcomes. However, it can be seen that adolescent pregnancies, especially late adolescent pregnancies, can have outcomes that are comparable to those of normal age groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]