Globally, Mexico ranks first in the world in adolescent pregnancies among the nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, with a fertility rate of 77 births per thousand adolescents, from 15 to 19 years of age.
In Mexico, 23 percent of adolescents begin their sexual life between the ages of 12 and 19. According to figures provided by the National Population Council it begins at an average age of 15.5 years and statistics from the National Institute of Perinatology indicate that it happens at 14.6 years on average.
Social networks influence early initiation into sex
In addition, each time there is a tendency to do so at younger ages and this has a cause: social networks. Young people access them where and in them there is a significant amount of false information and the type of education they receive in schools or with their loved ones, and which is not necessarily adequate, as Aline García Cortés, a professional, has warned. of the Faculty of Medicine (FM).
Among those who started their sexual life, the vast majority (97 percent) know of at least one contraceptive method. However, more than half did not use any in their first sexual relationship. Thus, approximately 340,000 births in women under 19 years of age occur each year.
In adolescent pregnancies there is a greater probability of developing diseases
Teenage pregnancies are more likely to develop life-threatening diseases. These include preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, eclampsia or preeclampsia. That is why it should be a strategy to reduce them, especially to improve women’s health and reduce maternal mortality.
According to the WHO, sexual health is a state of physical, social and mental well-being in relation to sexuality. A positive and respectful approach to sexuality and sexual relations is required, as well as the possibility of having pleasant and safe experiences, free from all coercion, violence and discrimination.
