Teen pregnancy is a growing epidemic in the United States. In her article titled “10 Things You Didn't Know About Pregnant Teens in America,” Linda Lowen states that “615,000 girls between the ages of 15 and 19 became pregnant in 2014.” In 2015, there were 33,144 teen mothers in Texas. “Pregnancy complications are the second leading cause of death for adolescent girls. Furthermore, the young age of the mother can also negatively affect the health of the child. As Elizabeth Eden argues “There are particular risks to a child when the mother is not fully mature. Because most adolescents are not physically, emotionally, or financially ready to carry and care for a child, their babies tend to have low birth weight and are predisposed to a variety of diseases." Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Teen pregnancy can complicate a young woman's life in many ways. For example, there are many health risks associated with teen pregnancy. Eden states that “compared to older mothers, teenage mothers are at greater risk of having medical complications. Preeclampsia is very common in teenage mothers. They are very young, which means there is a problem with their blood pressure.” A young woman's pelvis does not reach maximum size and strength until the age of eighteen. A woman under the age of eighteen will have complications with vaginal birth. For this reason, cesarean sections are more common in teenage mothers. For example, a thirty-year-old woman would have a better chance of vaginal birth and the baby would have a better chance of living, because he has grown both mentally and physically. If it were a 15-year-old who had a child, she would have complications because she is not fully developed. She's just out of puberty. His body still had years of growth, both physically and mentally. In this case you should have a caesarean section to have the best chance of survival for you and your baby. Teenage pregnancy is very dangerous not only for the woman, but also for the child. Often when a girl becomes pregnant she hides her pregnancy for as long as possible. The main reason girls do this is because they come from abusive homes. Where they suffer verbal, mental or physical abuse. Or the individual may come from a family where religion is a priority and abortion is an absolute no-no. Some mothers, fearing that their family will be disappointed in them, abuse them verbally or even hit them directly. This causes the mother to miscarry. Having an abortion has consequences. In an article titled Risks of Abortion, Dangers of Abortion and Complications of Abortion, written by an unknown author, the author states: “After a girl has an abortion there are many side effects. For example, suicidal thoughts, shame, regrets. Eating disorders, depression and anxiety". Some mothers even go so far as to flee to another state to have an illegal abortion. They feel very forced to do this because they fear that their family will hurt them or disown them. Young teenagers travel to Mexico to undergo this illegal procedure. Having this procedure may cause medical problems for the young teenager later in her life. For example, the individual may become infertile. This means that the individual can no longer have children. The individual may also experience a pelvic infection, cut or torn cervix, heavy bleeding. All of these pose a huge medical risk.