Embarazo y Maternidad en la Adolescencia

Embarazo y maternidad adolescente – estado de las madres en México (Adolescent pregnancy and maternity – State of Mexico’s mothers) is part of Save the Children’s wider campaign Every Last Girl.

Amongst the OECD countries, Mexico has the highest rate of adolescent pregnancy (77 per 1000 live births) of women aged 15-19. After a decrease in 2000-2006, the rate of adolescent births arouse between 2007 and 2012 by nearly 15 %.

One out of five births in Mexico are from adolescents and a third of these pregnancies are unintended. This is due to a combination of factors, such as: a lack of access to sexual and reproductive health information and services, a lack of opportunities, poverty, low education, gender stereotypes and gender-based and sexual violence, discrimination and child marriage.

Adolescent pregnancy implies a higher risk of maternal and infant mortality. It limits girls’ opportunities to learn, as pregnant girls many times have to drop out of school. According to the UN Population Fund, Mexicans need to complete at least 11 years of education in order to not fall into poverty. This report shows that a third of the women aged 20-24 who became mothers as adolescents now belongs to the poorest section of the population.