Socioeconomic and health consequences of adolescent pregnancies in Ecuador in the period 2015-2021

Abstract

In Ecuador, teenage pregnancy has become a social problem, affecting 2 out of every 10 women between 10 and 19 years of age. The possible causes of the increase in this figure are poor sex education and the taboo of sexuality in the family and social environment. For this reason, the Ministry of Public Health of Ecuador has implemented programs to strengthen the “Intersectoral Policy for the Prevention of Pregnancy in Girls and Adolescents Ecuador 2018-2025”. A study was conducted using bibliographic, qualitative and theoretical methods, where the topic’s information, results and conclusions were obtained. The objective is to determine the consequences of adolescent pregnancies from the health and socioeconomic point of view of the mother and child. It is concluded that the main causes of teenage pregnancies are misinformation about sexuality, reproduction and contraceptive methods, which have health and socioeconomic consequences.