The Problem of Juvenile Pregnancy in Bulgaria in the Context of Obstetric Care

Abstract

It is an alarming fact that in Bulgaria in recent years, in the context of declining birth rates, there has been an increase in pregnancies during adolescence. This article analyzes the state of the problem and discusses its social and medical aspect in the context of obstetric health care.
Materials and Methods: Analyses of own research on this problem were used. Demographic and health parameters for the years 2010 - 2017 were analyzed.
The results show that the total birth rate has decreased, reaching 9‰ in 2017, and every sixth child was born by a mother under the age of 20. The causes of juvenile (adolescent) pregnancy are multifactorial and constitute an important public health problem.
Discussion: The overall birth rate in Bulgaria has decreased dramatically. Bulgaria ranks first in Europe by the share of births by mothers under the age of 20. Every sixth live-born child in our country belongs to this age group. Birth and teenage birth bring many risks, both in terms of course of the pregnancy and the life and health of the mother and fetus.
Conclusion: Teenage pregnancy is an important public health problem. This requires integrated actions across sectors. It is essential that the midwife and the female counselor intervene in the prevention of early pregnancy and health care of the mother and the fetus.