Retrospective cohort study reveals reduced antenatal screening and lower neonatal intervention rates in adolescent pregnancies, indicating critical gaps in prenatal care access.
Key Points
To assess maternal and neonatal outcomes among adolescent pregnancies compared with adult pregnancies while rigorously adjusting for parity and maternal comorbidities.
Single-center retrospective cohort study evaluating deliveries between 2011 and 2024, comparing singleton pregnancies in adolescents aged ≤19 years (N=143) to adult women aged 20–34 years (N=103).
Multivariable logistic regression models adjusted for diabetes mellitus, chronic maternal disease, calendar year, smoking, and parity, with sensitivity analyses conducted specifically in nulliparous women.
Adolescent mothers had significantly lower documented uptake of first-trimester screening (22.6% vs. 67.8%, p < 0.001) and detailed second-trimester ultrasonography (17.1% vs. 71.7%, p < 0.001).
Adolescent delivery was associated with fewer cesarean deliveries (39.9% vs. 68.0%, p < 0.001) and a lower likelihood of any neonatal intervention (aOR 0.29, 95% CI 0.15–0.56).
Small-for-gestational-age births were higher in adolescents unadjusted (22.1% vs. 14.0%), but this difference was not statistically significant after full adjustment (aOR 1.21, 95% CI 0.47–3.14).