Number Of Girls Who Gives Birth Under The Age Of 18
Early pregnancy was never okay, giving birth at such young age? Will they able to raise
their child? or they’ll just abandon it? As what I have researched, teens who gave birth
mostly left their child in the orphanage because they aren’t able to raise their own child.
If this keeps happening, then this would add up the problem in our country, and that
problem was to build more orphanages even when the country is poor.
The goal of this survey is to determine the number of girls who gives birth within the
year, and to understand respondents’ views in regards to contraception. The
respondents consisted of 100 girls, aged 15 – 19. They were called to answer the
following questions from the questionnaire that was about early pregnancy.
The information about early pregnancy was enough since the gathered information from
the questionnaire was truly answered by them. And the survey indicates that one in five
(19%) young adult Filipino women between the ages of 18 and 24 started sexual activity
before the age of 18, also the survey indicates that 15 percent of young adult women
between the ages of 20 and 24 had their first marriage or started living at the age of 18
with their first spouse or partner. This surveying was taken from last August 28, until
now, the early pregnancy increases.
Here are the questions that were asked to the respondents:
1. Do you think teenage pregnancy is risky?
2. Do teenage pregnancies commonly occur in your community?
3. Do pregnant teenagers suffer stigma and isolation?
The data below shows the ages of young/teen girls who experienced early pregnancy,
as for they had given birth to children. The numbers were calculated and tallied under
the following ranges:

(Ages 18 above) – had experienced sexual activity, begun childbearing, had their
first marriage.

(Ages 17 below) – had started pregnancy.
The results below shows the number of girls who begun childbearing (2005-2020), by
rural-urban residence (2003-2005), educational attainment (2003-2005), and by wealth
quintile (2015-2020).
Percent who have begun childbearing, 2005 - 2020
Percent who have begun childbearing by urban-rural residence, 2005 - 2020
Percent who have begun childbearing by educational attainment, 2005 - 2020
Percent who have begun childbearing by wealth quintile, 2015 - 2020
Overall, the findings in this paper from the analysis of the Philippines’ National
Demographic and Health Survey series over a number of years, together with findings
from the Family Health Survey, corroborates that more teenagers now are getting
pregnant compared to earlier cohorts. Although there are differences amongst groups,
the increasing prevalence of early childbearing is observed in all socioeconomic
classes, all levels of education and in both urban and rural settings.
References:
Kenny LC, Lavender T, McNamee R, O'Neill SM, Mills T et al.Advanced maternal age
and adverse pregnancy outcome: Evidence from a large contemporary cohort. PLoS
ONE, 2013, 8(2): e56583. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0056583.
Chantrapanichkul P, Chawanpaiboon S. Adverse pregnancy outcomes in cases
involving extremely young maternal age. International Journal of Gynaecological
Obstetrics,. 2013, Feb 120(2): 160-4. doi:10.1016/j.ijgo.2012.08.024.