Pregnancy during Adolescence and Associated Risks: An 8-Year Hospital-Based Cohort Study (2007-2014) in Romania, the Country with the Highest Rate of Teenage Pregnancy in Europe.

Aim . To determine pregnancy and delivery outcomes among teenagers. Materials and Methods . An 8-year retrospective comparative hospital-based cohort study is analysing singleton pregnancy comorbidities and delivery parameters of a teenage group under the age of 20 compared with a young adult group 20-24 years of age in a university hospital. Results . Teenage is a risk factor for preterm birth <37 weeks (1.21 [1.08-1.35]), foetal growth restriction (1.34 [1.21-1.48]), episiotomy (1.27 [1.21-1.34]), uterine revision (1.15 [1.06-1.25]), APGAR <7 at 1 min (2.42 [1.21-1.67]), cephalopelvic disproportion (1.26 [1.07-1.48]), and postpartum haemorrhage (1.42 [1.25-1.62]); however, caesarean delivery occurs less frequently in teenagers than in adults (0.75 [0.70-0.80]). The following comorbidities are risk factors for teenage pregnancy (risk ratio [CI 95%]): anaemia (1.13 [1.10-1.17]), low urinary tract infection (1.10 [1.03-1.18]), pediculosis (2.42 [1.90-3.00]), anogenital condyloma (1.50 [1.04-2.17]), and trichomoniasis (1.74 [1.12-2.68]). The risks for hepatitis B and hepatitis C, premature rupture of membranes, and placenta praevia were lower compared with those in the young adult group, respectively, 0.43 (0.26-0.71), 0.90 (0.85-0.96), and 0.29 (0.20-0.41), while the risk for gestational diabetes and preeclampsia were the same in both groups. Conclusion . Considering the high risks for teenage pregnancy, this information should be provided to pregnant adolescent women and their caregivers.