T een pregnancy can have negative health implications for both the mother and child. Of course, the health and health-related behavior of teen mothers before, during, and after pregnancy affect the health of the baby. Evidence suggests that babies born to teen mothers are at increased risk for specific health problems compared to babies born to older mothers. In addition to these personal costs, there are considerable costs to taxpayers associated with the public healthcare expenses of teen childbearing. Reducing teen pregnancy will not only improve the health of teens and their future children, it will also reduce some of the costs of public health services. • Infants born to teen mothers are at increased risk of being born prematurely and at a low birthweight. This puts newborns at greater risk for infant death, respiratory distress syndrome, bleeding in the brain, vision loss, and serious intestinal problems.1,2 • Teen mothers are also more likely than mothers over the age of 25 to smoke during pregnancy, and often teen mothers are not at adequate pre-pregnancy weight and/or do not gain the appropriate amount of weight while pregnant.1 • Compared to older pregnant women, pregnant teens are far less likely to receive timely and consistent prenatal care.1 • Recent research indicates that while there is little difference in their child’s health status as reported by teen mothers or by older mothers, the children of teen mothers are less likely to visit a medical care provider.3 Teen mothers are also slightly more likely than similarly situated older mothers to report that their child has a chronic health condition…

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