Introduction

A pregnancy is called an early pregnancy when the mother is under 18 or 20 years old. They are generally young teenagers between 12 and 16 years old. According to the World Health Organization, the number of early pregnancies is higher in some developing countries.

Some causes

Early pregnancy can have several causes. Among others, there is the tabooing of sexuality within certain families, which in turn causes a lack of sexual and reproductive education among children and adolescents. In addition, we have a lack of use of contraceptive methods and early marriages.

Obstacles to family economic development

Apart from the psychological and human consequences, there are also economic consequences for an early pregnancy. The case where the pregnant girl still lives under the same roof as her parents or tutors is most delicate. In this case, she does not have the financial or material means to bring a child into the world and even less to take care of him. Therefore, this unplanned child constitutes a significant burden in the family where the members do not have sufficient means to take care of their own basic needs. This is how, in some families, the parents find themselves contracting debts. These debts will be used to: help the young adolescent to be able to make regular prenatal visits; take care of the minor child because pregnancy requires special quality food; constitute the layette of the baby and prepare his arrival in the world; and anticipate complications that may arise during childbirth. However, these debts are a burden for the family. Because the latter will struggle to repay them after the delivery of the child. The family thus finds itself in a situation of financial handicap because of an early, unplanned pregnancy.

Conclusion

With an early pregnancy, one runs the risk of slowing down the family’s economic development. This is why the coming into the world of a child must not only be planned well in advance but also take place at a mature and not early age. Doing it at a mature age allows for taking care of all the expenses and financial responsibilities that come with it and not letting them be a burden on other family members.