title: Adverse pregnancy outcomes in cases involving extremely young maternal age.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess pregnancy outcomes among adolescent girls 16 years old or younger and their newborns.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cohort study was carried out at Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand, using completed charts for 1061 girls aged 16 years or younger (study group) and 1100 women aged 20 to 29 years (reference group) delivered at that hospital between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2010. Demographic data, maternal laboratory investigations, maternal complications, placental complications, medications administered in hospital, and neonatal outcomes were recorded.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Anemia (odds ratio [OR], 1.86; confidence interval [CI], 1.52-2.26); heart disease (OR, 0.38; CI 0.15-0.90), thyroid disorder (OR, 0.054; CI, 0.01-0.40), pulmonary disease (OR, 0.89; CI, 0.41-1.93); medical and obstetrics complications including gestational diabetes mellitus (OR, 0.04; CI, 0.01-0.29), placenta previa (OR 1.04, CI 0.06-16.60), preterm labor (OR, 1.98; CI, 1.55-2.53), as well as mean neonatal weight (2830.77 ± 81.31 g and 3038.53 ± 482.23 g; P=0.001) were different in the 2 groups and the differences were statistically significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes were common in the study group. Extensive education about contraception and safe sex on the one hand, and an effective care plan if pregnancy occurs, should be provided to teenage girls to reduce these poor outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand. siscw@mahidol.ac.th
authors.forename: Panicha
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Chantrapanichkul
authors.forename: Saifon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chawanpaiboon
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008423:Maternal Age; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011253:Pregnancy in Adolescence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013785:Thailand / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult