Adolescent pregnancy in Grenada

A retrospective review of adolescent deliveries (maternal age range: 12-19 years) at the maternity unit of the main General Hospital, Grenada, was undertaken for the years 1987 and 1988 using the delivery room register and hospital medical records. These mothers were compared with women who delivered during the same period but were aged between 20 and 30 years. Of the 3203 deliveries which occurred during the study period, 613 (20%) involved adolescents, giving a prevalence rate of one in five pregnancies. χ² and Fisher's exact test analyses revealed that pregnancies occurring in younger adolescents (age less than 16 years, n = 58) carried an increased risk of preterm labour, operative delivery, prematurity, small-for gestational age infants, asphyxia and perinatal mortality when compared with the 'optimum reproductive age group'. Older adolescents (16-19 years, n = 555) had a higher risk of pregnancy induced hypertension but otherwise compared well with the optimal reproductive age group. Adolescent pregnancy is very prevalent in Grenada and the reproductive outcome for young adolescents < 16 years of age is relatively poor.