Spotlight on teenage pregnancy--defining the demographics and the family planning requirements.

This study aims to provide a demographic analysis of teenage pregnancy and a needs-assessment for teenage family planning. A questionnaire was sent to all teenage mothers delivered in 2000 in Waterford Regional Hospital (WRH), and demographic analysis was performed. There were 118 teenage pregnancies, only 88% were primigravid, and 24% were aged <17 years. The response rate was 43%. The uptake of contraception before pregnancy was 74%, (42% using barrier methods only), and post-partum, the uptake was 98%, (12% barrier methods). The majority of teenagers (72%) prefer to attend the General Practitioner, preferably with an out-of-hours, weekday service. Teenage family planning is an area of need, particularly in the younger teen-years and following a pregnancy. We have shown how this can be addressed.