Pregnancy and labor complications in teenagers in Tehran.

Teenage pregnancy is recognized in many countries as a health risk associated with a higher rate of maternal and fetal complications, particularly in developing countries with limited obstetric facilities. This study compares the obstetric outcomes of teenagers (age -20 years) with those of 20–29year-old mothers. The data were collected from the records of pregnant women admitted for delivery at four Tehran University teaching hospitals during a 2-year period (1999 and 2000). We compared 873 records of 312 teenagers with 516 records of 20–29-yearold women. All mothers were primigravidas with no underlying disease. Multiple pregnancies and stillbirths were not included in the study. We evaluated gestational age (GA), mothers’ hemoglobin, pre-eclampsia, preterm labor, birthweight, and the mode of delivery wnormal vaginal delivery (NVD) vs. cesarean section (CS)x. Teenagers were grouped into low teens (17 years and younger) and high teens (18–19-year-olds). The mean age for teenage mothers was 17.9