Adolescent Pregnancy Essay
The intention of this research is to conduct an investigation into the medical risks in adolescent pregnancies in Sub-Saharan Africa. Available literature shows that Sub-Saharan Africa experiences higher rates of medical complications and maternal deaths, resulting from adolescent pregnancies (Farber, 2009). Various studies that explore this challenge are united on the fact that cultural factors, poor access to prenatal medical services and peer pressure are the leading factors that contribute to the medical challenges and prenatal deaths of adolescents (East & Felice, 1996). Available statistics show that the age of marriage is relatively lower in Sub-Saharan Africa than in other parts of the world.
This is mainly because of the fact that girls in Sub-Saharan Africa tend to be forced into marriages below the age of 18. Some of the factors that contribute to early pregnancies are that young girls come under heavy societal pressure to engage in sexual activities with relatively older men. Despite the inclusion of sex education into the schools’ curriculum, studies have found out that a significant percentage of young girls are still vulnerable to early pregnancies (East & Felice, 1996).Adolescent Pregnancy Essay Paper