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Adolescent pregnancy

• Overview
• Symptoms
• Treatment
• Prevention

Alternative Names:

Teenage pregnancy; Pregnancy - teenage

Symptoms:

Pregnancy symptoms include:

• Missed period
• Fatigue
• Breast enlargement and breast tenderness
• Abdominal distention
• Nausea/vomiting
• Light-headedness or actual fainting

Signs and tests:

The adolescent may or may not admit to being involved sexually. If the teen is pregnant, there are usually weight changes (usually a gain, but there may be a loss if nausea and vomiting are significant). Examination may show increased abdominal girth , and the fundus (the top of the enlarged uterus) may be palpable.

Pelvic examination may reveal bluish or purple coloration of vaginal walls, bluish or purple coloration and softening of the cervix , and softening and enlargement of the uterus.

• A pregnancy test of urine and/or serum HCG are usually positive.
• A pregnancy ultrasound may be done to confirm or check accurate dates for pregnancy.

References:

U.S. Teenage Pregnancy Statistics:Overall Trends, Trends by Race and Ethnicity and State-by-State Information . New York, NY: The Alan Guttmacher Institute; 2004

• Review Date: 2/27/2006
• Reviewed By: Melanie N. Smith, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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