Warning of unwanted teenage pregnancy in Nghe An

The pain of teenage pregnancy

From July 2024 to now, in Mon Son commune (Con Cuong), there have been 5 cases of unwanted pregnancy and childbirth. All were born in 2008, some dropped out of school to work, some are still studying and some are married, early marriage.

As a population officer of the commune, Ms. Vi Thi Loan seemed to be used to receiving information about another case of school-age children who had gotten married and had children: Every year we go to schools and villages to propagate the issue of early marriage and adolescent reproductive health. However, the children are at an age of curiosity, some of them go to school far from their families or some of them are lured to work. Therefore, even though we knowpregnantEarly puberty will lead to many consequences, but children do not have the knowledge or measures to protect themselves.

Despite many solutions, child marriage and teenage pregnancy continue to occur in Con Cuong district. In 2024, according to statistics from the district's Health Center, in the first 8 months of the year, the district had 28 cases of child marriage or teenage pregnancy. Of these, most of the pregnancies were unmarried and between the ages of 15 and 16.

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Con Cuong has a large number of ethnic minorities living there and compared to many other regions, the economic conditions, awareness and understanding of the people here are still limited. In addition, due to customs and practices, the marriage and childbirth of ethnic minorities often take place quite early, even in early marriages and incestuous marriages. This causes great difficulties for propaganda and mobilization work. Recently, many children of school age have dropped out of school and gone to work far away. Therefore, when they get married and have children, it is very difficult for the locality to grasp and support them.

Ms. Nguyen Hong Nhung - Head of Population Department, Con Cuong District Health Center

Statusearly marriage, unwanted pregnancy is a problem that has occurred in Nghe An province for many years, especially among young people. Through the practice of propaganda and reproductive health counseling for school-age students at many secondary and high schools in the province, Ms. Nguyen Thi Hong - Department of Communication - Education, Provincial Department of Population - Family Planning said that there are many cases of female students getting pregnant while still in their teens: We once went to a mountainous school and examined the health of female students. Unfortunately, through ultrasound, doctors discovered a number of cases of pregnant students and the students themselves did not know this. At that time, the students themselves were very confused and worried.

Explaining the reason, the representative of the Department of Communication - Education, the Provincial Department of Population - Family Planning said that currently, the fact that young people have early access to many sources of information (including unhealthy information) through social networks has significantly affected the thinking and lifestyle of students. This makes young people today fall in love early, are easy in relationships and have unsafe sex. This is also the path leading to early pregnancy when they are in their teens and young adults.

Live responsibly, protect yourself

Media responseWorld Contraception Dayheld at the Do Luong District Cultural Center received the attention of many union members and young people. Therefore, although it mentioned a rather sensitive issue of safe sex and proactive contraception, many young people were not afraid to share their views and thoughts.

Talking about this issue, Ms. Phan Thi Huong - Secretary of the Youth Union of Trang Son commune (Do Luong) said: Pregnancy at a young age and abortion when the fetus is too large has led to many extremely unfortunate consequences, such as affecting psychology, causing obsession and depression.

Besides, it also causes great danger to the bodies of young girls, many young people have lost the opportunity to become mothers later because of it.abortion many times. Therefore, in my opinion, to reduce this situation, we need to further promote communication work on contraception and sex education. In addition, there needs to be more attention between school - family - society. From there, help children be fully equipped with knowledge about sex andreproductive health, contributing to improving the quality of the population in the future.

“Young people should take responsibility for safe sex and proactive contraception for their own happiness and for the future of the country” is the theme of World Contraception Day 2024.

More dangerously, many young people do not dare to go to medical facilities and instead have illegal abortions, which do not ensure sterility and can cause infection, bleeding, obstetric complications...

This leads to unpredictable consequences, because many cases after marriage will not be able to conceive naturally, the infertility rate is often 3-4 times higher for those with no history of abortion. Scientific studies also show that the rate of secondary infertility due to abortion accounts for 20% of infertility cases, of which 70% are abortions in adolescents.

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The increasing number of young people and adolescents who are having unwanted pregnancies is a warning bell for parents, as well as for relevant levels and sectors. Having safe sex and proactively preventing pregnancy brings many benefits such as limiting the risk of unwanted pregnancies, reducing the risk of sexually transmitted diseases, and being proactive in implementing family planning.

Mr. Nguyen Van Thuong - Deputy Director of Nghe An Department of Health

With many practical activities, this year's World Contraception Day has conveyed the message that every young person needs to live proactively and responsibly. In particular, it is necessary to proactively learn and equip themselves with knowledge about safe sex, the importance of contraception and reproductive health care, for their own future and for the development of the country.

World Contraception Day is an occasion to raise awareness, consciousness and responsibility of all classes of people, social communities, couples of childbearing age, adolescents and young people about all contraceptive methods. Thereby, helping each person make wise choices in preventing unwanted pregnancies, limiting unsafe abortions, preventing infertility to improve population quality./.