One in Three Pregnant Women in Mexico Are Under 20, New Study Finds Susmita Baral - Latin Times
go to original July 22, 2014

Amidst drug wars and an immigration-migration crisis, Mexico faces another significant public health epidemic: teen pregnancies. In fact, according to the 2012 National Health and Nutrition Survey (ENSANUT), 51.9 percent of sexually active females aged 12 to 19 have become pregnant in their teens or younger. But now a new report has found that one in three pregnant women in Mexico are under the age of 20.

The report - "Maternity childhood" Population Fund United Nations (UNFPA) - also reveals that Mexico is the leading nation in teen pregnancies with the alarming rate of 64.2 teen pregnancies per thousand births. Generally speaking, teen pregnancies are associated with poorer living conditions and the girls receiving lower levels of education. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the risk of maternal death is four times higher among adolescents younger than 16 years than women in their twenties in Latin America.

What's the reason behind this rate? Global Health PR explains:

In Mexico there is a lack of information about contraceptive methods and how to use them effectively. Almost 25 percent of teenagers surveyed do not know how to use contraceptive methods, while 35 percent responded they haven’t received information about contraception. If so, they still have many doubts. As teenagers continue with their active sex lives, 40 percent do not use contraceptive methods or use them just occasionally. Almost 20 percent of them didn’t plan to have sexual relations, but did anyway.

Read the rest at Latin Times

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