Pregnancy outcomes in urban teenagers.
OBJECTIVE
To compare pregnancy outcomes for teenagers with those for older gravidas.


METHODS
A retrospective case control study was undertaken to compare teenagers who delivered between January 1996 and October 1999 at a public urban hospital with a group of older gravidas.


RESULTS
Young pregnant teenagers were more likely to be nulliparous. They weighed less and gained less in pregnancy. More teen pregnancies occurred among Hispanics than other ethnic groups. The younger the teenager, the more likely for her infant to be of low or very low birth weight or growth restricted. There were fewer postmature deliveries, macrosomic fetuses and cesarean deliveries in young gravidas. Perinatal mortality was unaffected by maternal age.


CONCLUSIONS
This investigation demonstrates that, while pregnancy outcomes in teenagers have improved in recent years relative to historical patterns, teenagers face continuing problems requiring special attention by care givers.
Chandra
P C
PC
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wyckoff Heights Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY, USA. user758116@aol.com
Schiavello
H J
HJ
Ravi
B
B
Weinstein
A G
AG
Hook
F B
FB
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001835:Body Weight; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000209:etiology; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D007230:Infant, Low Birth Weight; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007233:Infant, Postmature; D009518:New York; D010298:Parity; D011247:Pregnancy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence / Q000208:ethnology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014504:Urban Health; D015430:Weight Gain