Maternal and Women's health Flashcards
Youth People
15-24 years
Young people
10-24 years
Adolescent
Adolescents: 10-19 years of age
early adolescent
10-14 years
Late adolescent
15-19 years
The characteristics of young mothers are common across the regions of the world
Little education,
Rural dwelling,
Low income.
levels of early pregnancy determinants
Early pregnancy and poor reproductive outcomes among adolescents are determined by a web of micro- and macro-level factors:
• Individuals make choices to engage in specific behaviours
• Family and community norms, traditions, and economic circumstances influence these choices
• Policy and regulatory frameworks facilitate or hinder choices
Actions are needed at each of these levels by different sectors.
Adolescents too have key roles to play.
Clinical causes of maternal mortality among adolescents –
Unsafe abortion
Obstructed labour2
Strong indications of higher risk in mothers below16 years since pelvis is still not fully developed
Hypertensive disorders
Reduce unsafe abortion
Policy-Level Actions
Enable access to safe abortion and post-abortion services for adolescents
INDIVIDUAL, FAMILY, & COMMUNITY-LEVEL ACTIONS
Inform adolescents about dangers of unsafe abortion
Inform adolescents about where they can obtain safe abortion services, where legal
Increase community awareness of the dangers of unsafe abortion
Health system-Level Actions
Identify and remove barriers to safe abortion services
Increase use of skilled antenatal, childbirth, and postpartum care
POLICY-LEVEL ACTIONS
Expand access to skilled antenatal, childbirth, and postnatal care
Expand access to Basic and Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric Care
Individual, Family, & Community-Level Actions
Inform adolescents and community members about the importance of skilled antenatal and childbirth care
Health system-Level Actions
Ensure that adolescents, families, and communities are well prepared for birth and birth-related emergencies
Be sensitive and responsive to the needs of young mothers and mothers-to-be
Reduce coerced sex
Policy-Level Actions
Prohibit coerced sex
Individual, Family & Community-Level Actions
Empower girls to resist coerced sex
Influence social norms that condone coerced sex
Engage men and boys to critically assess gender norms
Increase use of contraception
Policy-Level Actions
Legislate access to contraceptive information and services
Reduce the cost of contraceptives to adolescents (conditional recommendation)
Individual, Family & Community-Level Actions
Educate adolescents about contraceptive use
Build community support for contraceptive provision to adolescents
Enable adolescents to obtain contraceptive services
How to reduce marriage before 18?
Policy-Level Actions
Prohibit early marriage
Individual, Family & Community-Level Actions
Inform and empower girls
Keep girls in school
Influence cultural norms that support early marriage
Consesual sex
relating to or involving consent or consensus.
Potential risks to the adolescent mother’s life prospects
Pregnancy can bring status for a married adolescent in cultures where motherhood is the core aspect of a woman’s identity
On the other hand, an unmarried pregnant adolescent may be driven away by her family, or abandoned by her partner & be left with no means of support.