Teenage pregnancy has long been conceptualized as a social problem requiring preventive efforts (e.g., Maynard, 1997). While preventing teen pregnancy has obvious benefits, it is certainly not always possible. Despite a recent decline in teenage pregnancies in Canada, there are still an estimated 40,000 teenage girls who become pregnant each year, resulting in an estimated 20,000 births (Statistics Canada, 2006). Being pregnant during adolescence poses a number of challenges. Compared to their non-pregnant peers, pregnant teens have low levels of education, as well as low expectations for education and the job market (www.genderandhealth.ca; Singh, Darroch, & Frost, 2001). Pregnant teens also tend to have lower incomes (Al-Sahab et al., 2012). Research shows that youth living in poverty have a teen pregnancy rate five times the average (Stonehocker, 1997). Thus, socio-economic circumstances seem to play a major role in the rates of teen pregnancy. Due to these challenges, it is often difficult for young parents to remain in school and achieve success and security. As a result, it is vitally important to understand how you can support them during this challenging and life-changing time.
There are various physical and emotional cues that can signal that a teen is pregnant, including
Becoming pregnant as an adolescent can have a major impact on student success—both during pregnancy and after the baby is born.