ILOILO City – La Paz district resident Nene (not her real name) got pregnant when she was 14 years old.
Now at just 17, she already has two children – a two-year-old and a barely one-year-old baby.
“Wala man plano, aksidente lang. Wala namon napunggan ang amon kaugalingon,” Nene told Panay News.
Teenage pregnancies in Western Visayas are ringing an alarm.
Data from the Commission on Population (POPCOM) showed the region recording 9,766 teenage pregnancy cases in 2019. These were 9.3 percent of the 105,225 live births that year.
Teenage pregnancy is when a woman under the age of 20 gets pregnant. It usually refers to teens between the ages of 12 to 19 years old.
What are the risks of teenage pregnancy?
Speaking to Panay News,Dr. Maria Teresa Dy, obstetrician-gynecologist and medical specialist of the Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC) in Mandurriao district, said a baby can have a low birth weight when the mother is malnourished or a teenager.
Teenagers tend to consume a lot of junk food and soft drinks which “would never give” proper nutrition to the baby, Dy explained.
Teenaged mothers are also at “high risk” during child birth.
“Ini because indi pa well-developed ang pelvis sang teenager,” Dy said.
“Imagine a10-year-old getting pregnant. Ti kon gamay pa lang ang bata, how can the baby pass through the pelvis kon indi pa developed ang ila pelvis structure? Most of them end in caesarian delivery,” the doctor added.
Despite her young age, Nene said she has no regrets having her babies born.
“Kay ti nakita ko man kon ano sila ka-healthy kag nagahimakas man kami sang bana ko para mahatag ang ila kinahanglanon,” she said.
But that is easier said than done. Dy raised three more points of concern. These were:
* Teen mothers are twice as likely to die in child birth because of the “possibility of complication” during labor.
* The baby of a teenage mom is also twice as likely to die before reaching one-year-old due his/her mother’s feeble nurturing capability.
* Teen moms are twice as likely not to finish high school.
What causes teenage pregnancy?
According to Dy, most teenage pregnancy cases were due to curiosity and wrong decisions.
“They were not planned at all. So sa hampang-hampang nila…curious adventure, nagbusong. Sin-o man ‘bi ang nagaplano nga magbusong during teenage years mo?” Dy posed.
“Kay because wala sang protection, wala sang naga-guide, they end up getting pregnant,” Dy added.
She also cited peer pressure.
“Naga-indulge sa sexual activity ang isa ka teenager kon mabal-an nga ang tanan nga barkada ang nagahimu man sini.”
Another factor could be problems within the girl’s family.
“Kapin pa ang kabataan nga wala sang ginikanan nga naga-asikaso sa ila kag ginabilin lang sa relatives,” she said. “Sila nagapangita sang iban nga bagay nga mahimu mahatagan sang attention. One of these is engaging in sexual activity.”
Fourth is the lack of sex education – at home and even in schools.
“Indi sila well-educated about safe sex so wala sila nagagamit sang condom or sang pills,” added Dy. “May iban nga schools nga wala ginatudlo ang topiko angut sa reproductive health.”
Another is the teenagers’ perspective on sex.
“Young people are very adventurous, very curious,” Dy said. “Young people now are very liberal in their views on sex, even if indi nila ka-relation.”
“Touring hormones? I don’t totally agree with that. It’s the interplay of all the factors nga na-mentionko,” Dy stressed.
How can teenagers prevent getting pregnant?
“Number one key is education,” Dy said.
These included education on reproductive health, possible effects of pregnancy, family planning and safe sex, and being emotionally and psychologically prepared for the responsibilities of a mother, she enumerated.
“Of course, guidance from the parents. Kon wala parents, ang nearest kin nga maka-intindi like tiya or cousin nga adult na bala who can guide and supervise,” Dy added.
Dy also clarified that when a girl gets pregnant, it does not mean she would subsequently marry or live with the baby’s father.
“I would encourage kon nagbusong ang teenager, continue with the pregnancy. Kinahanglan ya good prenatal care, pero indi pag-upod sa balay ang isa man ka teenager nga lalaki kay indi na solution,” Dy stressed.
So when is the right time to get pregnant?
“When you are already a responsible adult,” Dy opined, and that means being emotionally-, psychologically- and financially-ready.
Should the teenager need further education on family planning or safe sex, she could always ask assistance from the nearest Rural Health Unit or hospital, she added./PN
