Objective: To summarise the published research on teenage pregnancy in Malaysia, discuss the impact of the findings on clinical practice, and identify gaps in teenage pregnancy research in Malaysia. Methods: There were 31 articles related to teen pregnancy found after searching a database dedicated to indexing all original clinical research data published in Malaysia from year 2000 to 2014. Twenty-seven articles (including reports from the National Obstetrics Registry) were selected and reviewed on the basis of clinical relevance and future research implications. This literature review has been divided into eight sections: epidemiology, age at first marriage, adolescent fertility rate, unmarried childbearing, risk factors, maternal risks and neonatal outcome, future plan after delivery, and contraceptive use. Results: More than 19,000 births to teenage mothers were recorded each year between 2009 and 2011. Adolescent fertility rates were recorded at 6 births per 1000 women ages 15–19 years in 2013. Many of these births were from unwed pregnancies, which accounted for 1.99% of total deliveries. A majority of young mothers were willing to take care of their baby, although some of them planned to put their baby up for adoption. Risk factors for teenage pregnancy were found to be similar to those published in studies worldwide. Conclusion: More research is needed to better understand the issue of teen pregnancy. For the best results, collaborative studies among nationwide hospitals and institutions should be the way forward.
Pregnancy in Adolescence

Background: Maternal malnutrition is a major cause of low birth weight (LBW) newborn outcome especially among adolescent mothers. It is one of the key drivers of child stunting and initiates the vicious cycle of intergenerational malnutrition. The body mass index prior to pregnancy or at the initial trimester is currently being used to establish the desired weight gain throughout pregnancy. However, Filipino adolescents often delay their first antenatal visit at a later stage of pregnancy. Without a baseline weight, the establishment of appropriate weight gain and nutritional status is often challenging. Mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) was proven to be a good proxy measure of acute malnutrition, however, there was no global consensus on what MUAC cut-off point to use to identify pregnant adolescents at risk for delivering LBW babies. Finding the optimal cut-off could facilitate early identification and intervention of pregnant adolescents who are nutritionally at risk and could eventually break the cycle of intergenerational malnutrition. Objectives: The study aims to determine the association of maternal MUAC and the birth weight outcomes among newborn deliveries of adolescents in a tertiary hospital for a period of six months and to identify the optimal maternal MUAC cut-off point that can be used to predict low birth weight outcome among newborn deliveries of adolescents in a tertiary hospital. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted among adolescents ages 10 to 19 years who delivered babies in a tertiary hospital in the Philippines for a period of six months. Maternal MUAC and LBW outcome were documented, and their association was determined using a logistic regression analysis. To measure diagnostic accuracy, the sensitivity, specificity, and the area under the curve were taken for each MUAC point. A receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to aid the MUAC cut-off determination. Results: Out of 237 newborn deliveries, 35% were noted with low birth weight while 65% had normal birth weight. Most of the mothers were in their late adolescence at 78%. The crude association for the MUAC cut-offs ≤23.00 cm, ≤23.50 cm, and ≤24.00 cm and LBW showed a significant value of 2.19, 2.25, and 2.39 at 95% CI, respectively. However, it is only the cut-off ≤24.00 cm that showed significant results for adjusted association by the logistic regression analysis. The MUAC cut-off ≤24.00 cm also showed a better trade-off value between the sensitivity and specificity. Furthermore, the optimal maternal MUAC measurement that predicts LBW newborn outcome points to ≤24.00 cm cut-off based on the ROC curve. Conclusion This study shows that the maternal MUAC is predictive of LBW outcome among adolescent deliveries.A MUAC cut-off of ≤24.00 cm was superior to lower cut-offs studied. The pregnant adolescents might need a higher MUAC cut-off than adults to allow timely intervention and prevention of poor neonatal outcomes. By doing this simple screening test, suspected pregnant adolescents can be easily identified and referred for further confirmatory testing.
Pregnancy in Adolescence

Background: The 2013 National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) showed that 1 in 10 young Filipino women aged 15–19 years are childbearing. Yet, teenage pregnancy is known to be associated with complications in the mother and the child. Objective: This study aimed to describe the sociodemographic characteristics and obstetric and perinatal outcomes of teenage pregnancy among Filipino women aged 13–19 years at the Philippine General Hospital. Methods: This is a retrospective study consisting of reviewing the hospital records of teenage mothers from years 2014–2016. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the gathered data. Results: Almost 50% of the cases of adolescent pregnancy yielded obstetric and perinatal complications. The odds of having abnormal obstetric outcome among mothers with obstetric score of g1 is 7.8 times (95% CI: 2.0 to 30.7) higher as compared to other gravida scores and the odds of having at least one perinatal disorder decreases by 19% (95% CI: 6% to 30%) as the mothers regularly visit an obstetric clinic. This study also showed that among the pregnant adolescents, most of their partners were of legal age. Thirty-nine (23.9%) of them were seen by the Adolescent Service while 31(19%) were seen by the Child Protection Unit (CPU). Conclusion With the noted obstetric and perinatal outcomes, teenage pregnancy is an important issue that needs to be dealt with. To ensure good outcomes, provision of health care services designed particularly to cater to the needs of adolescent mothers should be properly and timely implemented. A referral to the Adolescent Service and CPU will greatly improve policies pertaining to provision of holistic care and protection services to teenage mothers.
Pregnancy in Adolescence

Results from cumulative years of the National Demographic and Health Survey and the latest result of the 2011 Family Health Survey, shows that teenage pregnancy in the Philippines, measured as the proportion of women who have begun childbearing in their teen years, has been steadily rising over a 35-year period. These teenage mothers are predominantly poor, reside in rural areas and have low educational attainment. However, this paper observes a trend of increasing proportions of teenagers who are not poor, who have better education and are residents of urban areas, who have begun childbearing in their teens. Among the factors that could help explain this trend are the younger age at menarche, premarital sexual activity at a young age, the rise in cohabiting unions in this age group and the possible decrease in the stigma of out-of-wedlock pregnancy.
Pregnancy in Adolescence

No abstract available.
Female ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy in Adolescence*

Background: Teenage pregnancy is a public health concern because of its increasing incidence and its dire consequences. Numerous studies document the role of family in initiating sexual activity and teenage pregnancy, but there is a lack of studies that assess the effects of families and peers on teenage sexual behavior in the Philippines. Objective: To determine the association between perceived family functionality as measured by the Family APGAR and teenage pregnancy in selected barangays in District 2, Quezon City, Philippines Methodology: The study enrolled 233 women who are residents of Barangays Commonwealth and Payatas in Quezon City. Cases consisted of 133 women aged 18 to 24 years at the time of the interview who have become pregnant in 2011-2016, while they were 13 to 19 years old, while controls (N=100) were similar but had never been pregnant before age 20. Consecutive respondents who consented to participate in the study were enrolled and interviewed using the Filipino version of the Family APGAR. Respondents were then classified as having functional or dysfunctional families. Odds ratio was computed to determine the relationship between family functionality and teenage pregnancy. Results: Family dysfunction based on the Family APGAR score was significantly associated with increased risk of teenage pregnancy with an OR 16.69, 1.93-144 (p=0.010) along with having both parents as caregivers with an OR of 29.69, 2.46-345, and teenage pregnancy in the mother with an OR of 15.87, 2.006-125. Conclusion Perception of dysfunction in the family based on the Family APGAR score, having both parents as caregivers and teenage pregnancy in the mother are associated with teenage pregnancy. Future researches should investigate the interactions of these factors but targeting family functionality may be key to curbing teenage pregnancies.
Pregnancy in Adolescence ; Pregnancy ; Female

Background: According to the WHO, about 16 million girls at the age of 15–19 years give birth each year. In the Philippines, 600 live births a day are registered under teenage mothers. At Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center, 12% of all obstetric admissions yearly are teenagers. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends long‑acting reversible contraception (LARCs), in the form of intrauterine device and progestin subdermal implant as pregnancy prevention options for young mothers. The objective of the study was to identify the prevalence and determinants of long‑acting reversible contraception (LARC) initiation among teenage mothers in Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center. Methodology: Prospective observational study: A self‑administered questionnaire was given to the respondents wherein they ranked determinants involved in their selection of a contraceptive method on a scale of 1–4 (1 being the most important, and 4, the least important. Results A total of 162 teenage mothers participated in the study. Majority of the respondents were 17–18 years old, enrolled up to high school, single, unemployed, and primiparas. Eighty‑seven percentage of all teenage mothers admitted at Mariano Marcos Memorial Hospital and Medical Center from December 2020 to December 2021 used long‑active reversible contraception. Ranked from most (1) to least (4) important, the respondents considered: (1) Effectivity, (2) Long duration, (3) Family influence, and (4) Peer influence as their determinants for initiating LARC method. The high effectiveness and long duration of LARC were the primary reasons for initiation, while the least factors they considered were that of peer and family influence.
Intrauterine Devices ; Pregnancy in Adolescence

Background. Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a rare form but life-threatening disease condition of the myocardium resulting in decreased ventricular contractility that occurs in a previously healthy woman during the peripartum period. Currently, in our country and probably worldwide there is an absence of epidemiologic data and description of the profile and outcome of PPCM patients less than 19 years old.

Objective. To determine the clinical profile and outcome of peripartum cardiomyopathy among teenagers (14-18 years old) at the University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital from 2004-2013

Methods. All patients aged 14-18 years old referred to Section of Pediatric Cardiology during a 10-year period from 2004-2013 who were diagnosed to have peripartum cardiomyopathy fulfilled the criteria set by National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) were included in the study. We retrieved the medical records of the 25 patients diagnosed with peripartum cardiomyopathy from 2004-2013. The 2D echocardiogram was retrieved from the Pediatric Cardiology Section.

Results. There were 25 teenagers with a mean age of 17 years old diagnosed with PPCM in UP-PGH in 2004-2013. Twenty-one patients (84%) had one sexual partner and two (8%) patients had multiple sexual partners. Their common co-morbidity was preeclampsia. The most common symptoms were dyspnea, easy fatigability, and orthopnea. Most patients presented with NYHA functional class III-IV.

The majority had poor LV contractility (mean EF of 29% and a mean FS of 12.7 %). All had left ventricular enlargement with mean LVEDd of 5.3 cm and mean LVESd of 4.2 cm. LV function improved in 72% of patients after six months. Four (16%) patients died because of myocardial failure.

Conclusion. Peripartum cardiomyopathy is a rare form of cardiomyopathy but it can occur among teenagers age 14-18 years of age. Compared with the previous study our patients are younger, and with a low prevalence of multiple pregnancy and promiscuity. Similar to other studies, preeclampsia and premature labor necessitating the use of tocolytics with Terbutaline are common comorbidities.

No abstract available.
Female ; Humans ; Infant, Newborn* ; Pregnancy ; Pregnancy in Adolescence*

Pregnancy in Adolescence ; Knowledge ; Child, Unwanted ; Child, Abandoned