Why teenagers get pregnant?

In some societies, early marriage and the traditional gender roles form important factors in the rate of teenage pregnancy. For instance, in some sub-Saharan African countries, early pregnancy is often viewed as a blessing because it is proof of the young woman's fertility. In the Indian subcontinent, early marriage and pregnancy is seen more in traditional rural communities as compared to the rates in cities.

In societies where adolescent marriage is uncommon, young age at first intercourse and lack of contraceptive can be the causes for teen pregnancy. Most teenage pregnancies in the developed world usually are unplanned.

Some of the causes for teenage pregnancy can be:

Adolescent sexual behavior - According to study carried out by the Guttmacher Institute, sex by age 20 is a normal age across the world. Countries having low levels of adolescent pregnancy accept sexual relationships among teenagers and also provide comprehensive and balanced information about sexuality.

However, according to Kaiser Family Foundation study of US teenagers, 29% of the teens reported feeling pressure to have sex, 33% of sexually active teens were reported for being in a relationship in which things were moving too fast sexually, and 24% had done something sexual that they actually didn't intend to do. Several polls indicated that peer pressure was a cause that encouraged both girls and boys to have sex. Inhibition-reducing drugs and alcohol could also possibly encourage unintended sexual activity.

Contraception - Adolescents may lack the knowledge of, or access to, conventional methods of preventing pregnancy, since they may be too embarrassed or frightened to seek such information. Contraception is used, but may prove to be inadequate. Inexperienced adolescents may use condoms incorrectly or at times forget to take oral contraceptives. Contraceptive failure rates are very high for teenagers, particularly the poor ones, as compared to older users. Reversible long term methods like intrauterine devices, subcutaneous implants, or injections (Depo provera, Combined injectable contraceptive), require lesser frequent user action, lasting from a month to years, and may be able to prevent pregnancy more effectively in women who have trouble following routines. The simultaneous use of more than just one contraceptive measure further reduces the risk of unplanned pregnancy, and incase one is a condom barrier method, the transmission of sexually transmitted disease is also reduced.

Age discrepancy in relationship - As per the conservative lobbying organization "Family Research Council," studies in the US indicate that age discrepancy between the teenage girls and men who impregnate them is a very important contributing factor for teenage pregnancy. Teenage girls who are in relationships with older boys, particularly with adult men, are more likely to become pregnant as compared to teenage girls in relationships with boys their own age. They are also more likely to carry the baby to term rather than having an abortion.

Sexual abuse - According to several studies, it is found that between 11 and 20 percent of the pregnancies in teenagers are a direct result of rape, while around 60 percent of teenage mothers have had unwanted sexual experiences preceding their pregnancy. Before the age of 15, majority of first-intercourse experiences among females are reported to be non-voluntary; the Guttmacher Institute has found out that 60 percent of girls who had sex before age 15 were forced by males who on an average were six years elder to them. One in 5 teenage fathers admitted to forcing girls to have sex with them.

Multiple studies indicate a strong link between early childhood sexual abuse and consequent teenage pregnancy in industrialized countries. Up to 70 percent of women who gave birth when they were teens were molested as young girls; by contrast, 25 percent of women who did not give birth as teens were molested.

Socio-economic factors - Poverty is related to the increased rates of teenage pregnancy. Economically poor countries like Niger and Bangladesh have far more teenage mothers as compared to economically rich countries like Switzerland and Japan. In the UK, around half of all pregnancies to under 18s are concentrated among the 30% who are most deprived, with only 14% occurring among the 30% who are least deprived.