INTRODUCTION
Teenage pregnancy is the term used to describe pregnancies among young women still in their adolescent years. This range of ages is often between 13 and 19. However, it can vary based on the menarche age and the country's legal age of majority. Due to changing lifestyles and a higher fertility rate, teen pregnancy rates are rising globally, presenting numerous social and economic issues for society.
CAUSES
Early marriages, young sexual activity, a lack of sex education, sexual abuse, pornography, drug use, poor levels of education and high poverty rates are some potential reasons and risk factors for teenage pregnancies.
SOCIOECONOMIC EFFECT
Teenage females' school dropout rates increase as a result of teenage pregnancy. Due to intense peer pressure and inadequate sex education, dropouts disproportionately affect high school girls. Because she must leave school to prepare for and care for her pregnancy, a teenage girl's education is significantly impacted. According to statistics, adolescent pregnancies are the leading cause of high school dropouts among young girls. The potential for education and the promising future of girls, children are greatly harmed by these dropouts. Due to physiological and morphological characteristics, teenage pregnancies are more likely than mature women to experience obstetric problems. These issues necessitate further medical care, which is quite expensive, especially for low-income families. When a teen mother gives birth without the assistance of a qualified obstetrician, there are other significant health hazards that could negatively impact her health. Teenage mothers' self-esteem is significantly impacted by stress and social shame. A teenage girl who gets pregnant experiences anxiety about an unforeseen pregnancy, frustration, and a loss of hope as she feels as though she has already fulfilled her life's purpose.
The pregnant girl is afraid to tell anyone, not even the boyfriend who caused the pregnancy because she is scared about what they will think of her predicament. She becomes stigmatized and perplexed as she wonders what impression she will give to his friends, family, and professors. She weighs the pros and cons of telling everyone and continuing with the pregnancy vs. keeping it a secret and having an abortion.
PREVENTION
Schools must provide initiatives and workshops that give children a chance to shape their childhood constructively and keep occupied because idle minds are the devil's workshops. Because it promotes early teen sexual behavior, drug use and pornography should not be permitted in schools. Girls need to learn how to avoid risk and safeguard themselves from circumstances and predisposing factors that could be very hazardous to their safety. Girls will be able to make educated decisions and be accountable for their actions and results with the help of sex education.
CONCLUSION
Teen pregnancy is a significant problem affecting girl child education worldwide. The increased teenage pregnancy rate is due to the change in lifestyles, such as the availability of pornography, drug abuse, peer pressure, increased fertility, and poverty. Teenage pregnancy poses many challenges to families and education system translating into serious socioeconomic problems in society that need immediate attention to address. Teenagers are young and relatively innocent on the consequences of teenage pregnancies, so they need proper parental and school guidance on the knowledge of sexuality and pregnancy.