Репродуктивно поведение на най-младите майки в България
Reproductive Behaviour of the Youngest Mothers in Bulgaria

Summary/Abstract: This article reviews the reproductive behaviour of 15-19 year-olds in its narrow meaning — age of first sexual contacts, frequency of pregnancies, births, and abortions. To this purpose the author uses data from a typological demographic and health-social survey of women till 19 years of age that have yielded a birth during the last trimester of 1993 in selected gynaecological institutions in the state. It has been found that: young mothers have lower social status; their first sexual contacts have moved one year earlier when compared with the last survey of 15-19 year-olds carried out in 1983; much higher frequency of pregnancies, births, and abortions among the 15-19 year-olds (compared to data of Western and Northern Europe). Nearly half of the examined women do not know and do not use any contraceptives, while the remaining use the most ineffective ones. This research certifies the necessity of a national programme of family planning, an integrated part of which should be the programme for sexual education of youngsters and the whole population in the state.

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