FETO-MATERNAL OUTCOME OF TEENAGE PREGNANCY IN PORT HARCOURT, SOUTHERN NIGERIA.

ABSTRACT Background: The term “teenager” is often used synonymously with “adolescent”. In this sense, teenage pregnancy means pregnancy in a woman aged 10–19 years. Teenage pregnancy constitutes a major social, medical and economic problem in developed and developing countries alike. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine the maternal and fetal outcomes of teenage pregnancies at University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), Port Harcourt, Nigeria. Methods: This was a retrospective study of 145 cases of booked and unbooked teenage pregnancies managed from 1st January 2008 to 31st December 2015. Results: Malaria with 32% prevalence rate was the commonest antenatal complication. A high caesarean section rate of 30.4% was recorded as the operative intervention in alleviating fetopelvic disproportion. The commonest postpartum complication in teenage mothers (booked and unbooked) was primary postpartum haemorrhage with 9%. The most common fetal complications were birth asphyxia and low birth weight with 9% and 6.9% respectively. Maternal case fatality rate was 5.1 per 1,000 deliveries. Fetal case fatality rate was 25.6 per 1,000 deliveries. Conclusion: Teenage pregnancy was lower amongst booked women. Comprehensive and emergency obstetrics care, coupled with empowerment of the girl child are key to tackling this problem.