Causes of Teen Pregnancy: Factors Responsible for Teen Pregnancy

Sex is the main reason behind any pregnancy. Most researchers investigated to find out the reason for widespread adolescent pregnancy. Some people have the myth that teenage girls want to get pregnant, but this is not true as almost 80% of teenage pregnancies are unintended.

According to the researchers, the main reason behind this is lack of maturity, education about sexual relations, contraception and lack of personal responsibility in adolescence. Furthermore, it has been found that teenage pregnancy is also due to employment opportunities and limited education or poverty.

Lack of knowledge about birth control or understanding of sex is one of the main root causes of teenage pregnancy. Ignorance is also one of the main reasons for teenage pregnancy. If we look at the scenario in America, we can easily find that teenagers, especially girls, receive so many messages about sex. But these messages do not explain the consequences of teenage sex. It is shown as an immediate gratification that prepares the girl for sex without the proper education. Although sex can be seen advertised in movies and on television, there is no equal initiative to educate about birth control. Open discussions about sex should be started, but this is very rare.

Any woman could get pregnant if she has no control over her life or has low expectations about her future. In some cases, teenage pregnancy has also been found to be the result of depression that directs them toward risky sexual activities. Some adolescents end up pregnant due to alcohol or drug abuse, which is the reason for improper contraceptive use.

Inadequate family love or the absence of a father figure make the adolescent’s mind-set drawn to an older man for affection that could end in her pregnancy if that man has other desires. In most cases, boyfriends have been the cause of teenage pregnancy, as girls have the impression that sex would bring their boyfriends closer.

Researchers have discovered a large difference between pregnancy rates in European and other countries due to better contraceptive services, low child poverty, acceptance of adolescent sexuality, and better sex education. For example, there is a difference of ten times between the Netherlands and the United States.

To see the cause behind teenage pregnancy, many surveys have been done on teenagers to try to understand their point of view. According to a 1996 study of 58% of boys and 76% of girls, most adolescent girls had sex just to satisfy their boyfriends. One of the three teenagers between the ages of 15 and 17 has agreed that their friends pressured them to have sex.

To shock the masses, in a 1997 study, it was revealed that 70% of girls are ashamed to buy contraceptives or obtain knowledge about sex from a doctor. It is very difficult to determine the relationship between teenage pregnancy and its factors. However, researchers have agreed that adolescents should be educated about contraceptive methods and the consequences of unprotected sex.