Teen pregnancy tops Oro problems

TEENAGE pregnancy remains a top problem in Cagayan de Oro, and health officials here said that the youngest teenage mom in the city is a 12-year-old.

City Health Officer Dr. Rachel Dilla said of the 100 pregnant mothers, there are about 13 who are below 18 years old.

“We were conducting injections among the youth then but when it was her turn, she refused because she is pregnant, and when we asked her age, she said she is 12 years old. And at 12, it was already her second baby,” Dilla said.

Dilla cited the importance of putting young girls to school as well as educating their parents on the effects of teenage pregnancy to their child’s lives.

“Most of the teenage moms come from a dysfunctional family, so it is really important to communicate among your children and let them understand that it is best to finish their studies first before engaging into premarital sex. If you are pregnant early, chances are, you will stop going to school, not finish your studies, and not get a decent job, your chances of having a better life is slim,” Dilla said.

Dilla said one of the City Health Office’s measures to combat the rising teenage pregnancy cases is conducting fertility awareness in schools.

“But most of all, it is really important that the parents is involved in making their children understand,” she added.

Dilla said teenage moms are also more at risk, since their bodies are still not designed for giving birth.

In the Philippines, DOH study shows 22 percent maternal deaths are common among mothers aged 15 to 24 years old while 20 percent of those who deliver at 15 to 17 years will be pregnant again in two years.

Children of teen moms have neonatal death rate three times higher, premature of 14 percent compared to the six percent among neonatal births to women 25 to 29 years old.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), 1 in 10 young Filipino women age 15-19 has begun childbearing: 8 percent are already mothers and another 2 percent are pregnant with their first child according to the results of the 2013 National Demographic and Health Survey.

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