Pregnancy outcome of adolescent marriage within 5 years of marriage

ABSTRACT

A secondary analysis of a sub-sample of the Egyptian demographic health survey [EDHS-95] data set was undertaken to compare between the pregnancy outcomes of 15-19 year old married adolescent girls and 20-24 years old young adult women who married in their 20th, within 5 years of marriage. Both groups showed differences in their social and demographic background, antenatal, natal and contraceptive use. Married girls and their husbands reside mainly in rural areas and are much lower in their educational level. The antenatal care use was significantly lower among girls than the young adult women, being 45% and 60%, respectively. Home deliveries were very common and different among both groups [51% and 62%, respectively]. Young adult women differed in their timing to use a modern contraceptive for the first time and its use at a higher percentage, in particular after having the first child. The tradition that contraceptives are not used until the birth of one child was found to be strongly prevailing, despite the marked educational differences between both groups. However, despite all the differences mentioned, no differences in the pregnancy outcomes were observed in both groups and even cesarean section rate of the last birth was double in the young adult women compared with married adolescent [12% and 6%, respectively]