Teenage pregnancy during COVID-19 in South Africa: a double pandemic

by | May 20, 2023 | News Articles | 0 comments

Courtesy www.samrc.ac.za

Pregnancies among adolescent girls remain a global problem. An estimated 21 million girls aged 15–19 years in developing countries become pregnant and about 12 million of them give birth every year.

Pregnancies not only have adverse health risks for adolescent mothers and their babies – these problems can persist into the next generation. For example, girls who become pregnant often drop out of school, limiting their future economic opportunities and perpetuating a cycle of poverty.

South Africa recorded increased rates of teenage pregnancies in some parts of the country between 2018 and 2019 and more recently during the COVID-19 pandemic. This was partly due to the difficulty of accessing contraceptives, which was greater during the COVID-19 lockdown.

An increase in the adolescent pregnancy rate strongly suggests challenges with accessing sexual and reproductive healthcare services for this vulnerable age group and is a cause for concern.