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Signs & Symptoms of Teenage Pregnancy

Teenage pregnancy symptoms may not be much different from the physical changes that a pregnant adult woman would experience. In order to verify pregnancy, it's important to watch for these symptoms and check with a doctor to receive the right type of prenatal care.

  1. Menstural Cycle

    • A missed period, or series of missed periods, can be a sign of teenage pregnancy. This symptom is common in adult women who have become pregnant as well. When a woman is not having her period due to pregnancy, this means that the lining of the uterus is not being shed, and is protecting the fetus. However, some teens and women may experience implantation bleeding when the embryo attaches to the uterus wall. The bleeding is usually light and is not the same as having a menstrual cycle, although some teens can confuse the two.

    Energy and Appetite

    • Unusual fatigue, as well as changes in appetite, also can indicate teen pregnancy in its early stages. While a number of teen girls experience these symptoms if they are athletes or have other health issues, the urge to sleep for long periods of time, several times a day, as well as eating more or less throughout the day could mean they are pregnant. Appetite preferences also are common in the late stages of teen pregnancy. Adult women experience these changes as well.

    Body Aches

    • Body aches such as headaches or backaches could signal a teen she is pregnant. Due to changes in her body's hormone levels (mainly an increase in estrogen), her breasts also may become sore and tender. Pregnancy causes breasts to enlarge. Adult women experience breast growth during pregnancy as well. Some teens also may experience pain and pressure in their feet due to the additional body weight.

    Risks

    • According to the Mayo Clinic, teenage mothers are more at risk for health problems during pregnancy, and so are their babies. Pregnant teenagers, especially those who are younger than 15, are more likely to develop anemia during pregnancy, or to deliver the baby prematurely. Babies born to teen mothers are at greater risk of having a low birth weight. Proper prenatal care, which includes regular doctor visits and being tested for sexually transmitted diseases, will decrease the chance of health complications during pregnancy, labor and delivery.

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