Obstetric outcomes of teenage pimigravida in Su-Ngai Kolok Hospital, Narathiwat, Thailand.

BACKGROUND Teenage primigravida cause high morbidity and mortality to mother and fetus. OBJECTIVE To compare obstetric outcomes of teenage pregnancy with reproductive-age pregnancy (20-34 years), with a focus on the risk of low birth weight and anemia. MATERIAL AND METHOD A historical cohort study of 2922 primigravida women who gave birth between January 2005 and December 2009 at Sungaikolok Hospital Narathiwat was done. The patients were divided into two groups to compare the obstetric outcomes. The study group was composed of 796 cases ofteenage pregnancies (< 20 years) and the control group was composed of 2126 cases of reproductive-age pregnancies (20-34 years). RESULTS Twenty-seven percent of these patients were teenage pregnancies. The teenage group received less adequate antenatal care (<4 visits), and less education than the reproductive group (p < 0.05). The study group had a significantly higher incidence of anemia (23.6%) low birth weight (16.3%), and pre-term (10.3%) than the reproductive control group, (p < 0.05). After controlling for other factors by logistic regressing analysis, poor antenatal care (<4 visits) was significantly associated with low birth weight and anemia in teenage pregnancy with an odds ratio of 1.9 and 1.5 respectively Private antenatal care was significantly associated with lower anemia (odds ratio 0.7) and low birth weight (odds ratio 0.6). CONCLUSION Teenage pregnant women had less education and antenatal care than the reproductive-age group. Teenage pregnancy had an increased risk of adverse obstetric outcomes, especially, low birth weight and anemia.