Teenage Pregnancy

The issues

Government targets for teenage pregnancy

– Reducing the rate of under 18’s conceptions by 50% by 2010

– Engage more teenage parents in education, training or employment, to reduce the risks of long term social exclusion

What are the issues faced by the NHS

• The vast majority of teenage pregnancies unplanned

• Most teenagers visit services after becoming sexually active

• Highest rate of Chlamydia in 16-19 year olds

• under 16s least likely to use contraception

• 50%of teenagers who become pregnant had received at least one prescription of the pill from their GP

• Pregnant teenagers delay seeking help - late abortions and missed antenatal care

Teenage mothers: outcomes

• Almost 50% smoke during pregnancy

• More likely to experience poor ante-natal care

• Higher maternity complications

• 4 out of 10 affected by post-natal depression

• Six times more likely to have no qualifications

• More likely to experience poverty and deprivation

Children of teenage parents: Outcomes

• Half as likely to breastfed

• 2 X more likely to be admitted to hospital

• 4 X more likely to be born weighing less than 2500grams

• Infant mortality rate 1.5x the average infant mortality rate

Teenage Pregnancy and the Health Service

Partnership GroupsHealth services are developing interagency working groups to improve services together. These include:

Drop-in clinics

Offering free confidential advice and information on health and contraception for 13 -19 year olds

Sex & relationship education in schools

To provide a clear and consistent approach to sex and relationships education in schools using a multi -agency team

Work with young parents

Other partnerships to support young parents include:

‘Skilled up’ programmeOCN accredited course 8 young parents completed

and gained accreditation

Citizen Advice Bureau For pregnant women and young parents aged 23

and under, dealing with Benefits, Housing, Debt management & legal issues

Emergency Hormonal Contraception

(EHC)

EHC is free to young people under 21 in many areas of Birmingham

Some pharmacists have been trained -

It is individual pharmacists that are able to offer service not the premises from which they work, so ‘phone to check they are available