Pregnancy and delivery in a group of Israeli teenagers. A case-controlled study.
OBJECTIVE
To assess characteristics of an Israeli group of nulliparous teenagers and to compare selected variables of their course and outcome of pregnancy with controls.


METHODS
Hospital records of 46 consecutive nulliparous teenagers younger than 17.5 years who delivered during a ten-year period and 84 matched adult controls were reviewed.


RESULTS
The majority of the teenagers were older than 15 years, married and most were born in Israel or in the former Soviet Union with no obvious socio-economical deprivation. The rate of prenatal follow-up, hypertensive disorders, type of analgesia during labor and mode of delivery were similar in teenagers and controls. A statistically non-significant higher rate of anemia (hemoglobin, 10 gr%), preterm delivery and low birth weight were observed in teenagers. Only the rate of induction of labor and the rate of a hemoglobin level higher than 12 gr% were significantly lower in teenagers.


CONCLUSIONS
The course and outcome of pregnancy were in most respects similar in this group of nulliparous teenagers and matched adult controls.
Barda
G
G
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Edith Wolfson Medical Center, Holon, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
Arbel-Alon
S
S
Bernstein
D
D
Zakut
H
H
Menczer
J
J
D000293:Adolescent; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence