[Subsequent pregnancy among adolescents]

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate epidemiological aspects in recurrent adolescence pregnancy.

Methods: Cohort study including 187 pregnant adolescents attended and followed-up for five years after delivery in an adolescent's attendance service in Ceará state. Age group, being or not at school, living with parents, schooling, marital status and the present partner's condition were analyzed. Data were processed by the EPI-INFO program. Statistical analysis of the independent variables (age, schooling, being at school, having a job, living with parents, marital status and switching partners) was done and compared to the dependent variable (being or not pregnant after five years). The Fisher's exact test was used to evaluate the association among factors which could influence the pregnancy recurrence, the association being present when p<0.05. Risks related to schooling, marital status and multiple partners have been calculated, since these were significant factors for pregnancy recurrence.

Results: 61% of the adolescents got pregnant in the five years after the first delivery. Factors such as age, school, work or living with parents were not protective. Nevertheless, when the adolescents had eight or less years of schooling, the risk of getting pregnant has almost duplicated (relative risk (RR)=1.8 (CI 95%=1.3-2.6)). New pregnancies were more frequent among the single adolescents without a stable partner (RR=1.3 (CI 95%=1.1-1.6) and among the ones who had multiple partners (RR=1.4 (CI 95%=1.1-1.7)).

Conclusions: Low schooling, multiple partners and non-stable bonds were risk factors for pregnancy recurrence.