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Objective: To describe the proportion of unwanted pregnancies among all pregnant adolescents, its association with sociodemographic characteristics, and the use of post-partum contraceptive methods., Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 220 women between 13 and 19 years of age, in two semi-urban municipalities of the State of Morelos, Mexico, interviewed between 1992 and 1994. Women were interviewed at home, six to twelve weeks after their delivery date. Women were asked whether they had wanted their last pregnancy, and about knowledge and use of contraceptive methods after delivery., Results: Adolescent pregnancies accounted for 17% of all births registered in these two municipalities. Among all adolescent mother 22.73% reported that their pregnancy had not been wanted. A positive association was found between the lack of access to health services provided by public medical insurance systems (Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social IMSS and Instituto de Seguridad y Servicios Sociales para los Trabajadores del Estado ISSSTE) and unwanted pregnancy (adjusted OR = 3.03, 95% CI (1.31, 7.) An association was also found between living in an urban community (adjusted OR = 2.16, 95% CI (1.08, 4.33) and an unwanted pregnancy. Among all adolescent mothers, 91.3% were familiar with "the pill" as a contraceptive method; 84.72% knew about the IUD, and 63.68% knew about the condom. However, only 35% of them were actually using an effective contraceptive method six weeks after delivery. No difference in frequency of contraceptive use was found among the adolescent mothers, according to whether they wanted their last pregnancy. Only 43.39% of mothers who delivered at hospitals or health centers were using an effective contraceptive method., Conclusions: These findings suggest that there is a great potential for family planning programs to target adolescents, and that the use of contraceptive methods after delivery should be promoted among adolescent mothers, especially those lacking access to public medical insurance and those living in semi-urban settings. It is also recommended to conduct studies on family planning education programs that can be introduced earlier in the school system in Mexico.

Clinical studies suggest that depression facilitates alcohol abuse. Depressed individuals also have increased rates of smoking, and it has been suggested that nicotine may improve depression. It is therefore possible that nicotine may reduce alcohol use in depression. To investigate this potential relationship, we evaluated alcohol intake in an animal model of depression, which consists of administering clomipramine (CLI), a preferential serotonin reuptake inhibitor, to neonatal rats. This pharmacological manipulation produces adult depression-like behaviors, such as reduced aggressiveness, decreased pleasure seeking, diminished sexual activity, increased locomotor activity and increased REM sleep. In this study, we found that CLI rats exhibited significantly higher locomotor activity, lower aggressiveness and higher alcohol intake than control rats. Chronic administration of a low dose of nicotine (0.25 mg/kg/day) or a sham operation did not modify these behaviors. However, chronic administration of nicotine at a higher dose (1.5 mg/kg/day) significantly increased aggressive behavior and reduced alcohol intake in CLI rats. The effect of nicotine on alcohol intake lasted at least 1 month after cessation of nicotine administration. These results indicate that nicotine reverted some depression signs and reduced alcohol self-administration in the CLI model of depression.