Girls are more vulnerable when it comes to sex life, a study made by Inspo showing that boys use more effective contraceptive methods than their partners. In Romania, a newborn in nine is a teenage mother.
Over a quarter of sexually active teenagers do not use photo contraceptive methods: Pixabay
A study by the National Institute of Public Health in 2023 revealed to the extent, high school students use condom, contraceptive or contraceptive pill, proving responsible behavior in sex life.
Risk behaviors among adolescents (Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System – YRBSS) has shown that more girls do not use effective contraceptive methods. 73.3% of adolescents reported the use of the condom to the latest sexual contact, shows the conclusions presented by public health specialists. However, one third of the girls (33.5%) and 21.1% of the boys did not use the condom, and 28.7% of the girls did not use any effective contraceptive method, compared to 19.4% of the boys.
Multiple partners, alcohol and drug use before sexual contact
The high school students were also sincere about various high-risk behaviors for health: 34% of boys and 8.4% of girls said they had four or more sexual partners throughout their lives (we are talking about teenagers), and in the last 12 months, 50.8% of boys and 22.1% of girls had sexual intercourse. Quite often, sexual intercourse were preceded by alcohol and/or drug use, 14.5%of sexually active teenagers declaring that they have consumed alcohol or drugs before the last sexual contact, this behavior being more frequent among boys (16.4%) than girls (11.6%).
“The data in the YRBSS study highlights the need to continue the information and intervention campaigns addressed to adolescents, with a focus on promoting the consistent use of efficient contraceptive methods and preventing risk behaviors, such as multiple or occasional partners and alcohol or drug use before sexual contact. the behaviors and reproductive risks ”, shows specialists in public health.
629 Births registered in teenagers under 15, in 2023
The early onset of sexual life is associated with many health risks, but also with the onset of pregnancies, being already notorious that Romania is a champion in the European Union in minor mothers. A pregnancy at an early age comes with increased risks for both the health of the mother and that of the newborn. The most common complications, say specialists, are: eclampsia, postpartum infections and premature birth. The World Health Organization shows that globally, complications during pregnancy and birth are the main cause of death among girls between 10 and 19 years old.
Birth at an early age has consequences not only in the plane of physical health, but it is repeated on social life and psycho-emotional health. Many teenage mothers drop out of school, and limiting educational and professional opportunities also brings economic difficulties.
According to the statistics of 2023, in Romania, out of the 155,418 registered births, 14,365 (representing 9.1%) were in the age group 12-19 years, which means that 1 in 9 births took place in a teenager. Of these, 629 births were registered in adolescents under 15 years, and 13,736 in adolescents between the ages of 15 and 19, shows inspiration, citing data from the National Institute of Statistics.
Romania and Bulgaria are the countries that provide at European level most children born to mothers under 20 years old (12.5% are from Bulgaria, 12.1% of Romania).
The birth rate (expressed as a percentage of total births) at the 10-14-year-old age segment was, in 2022, 8.5 times higher in Romania than the EU average, according to UNICEF data, while the birth rate in category 15-19 was also 3.5 times higher. In particular, young people living in poverty, show international research, present a higher risk of undergoing a pregnancy, putting their mark the lack of education, family structure and context, abuse, non-involvement of adolescent mothers, ethnic minorities.
Huge risks for teenage mother and child
Alarming is also that adolescents often do not benefit from prenatal consultations although these consultations play an essential role in ensuring a risk -free pregnancy, by identifying the complications, monitoring the development of the fetus and counseling the pregnant woman.
The World Health Organization recommends at least eight prenatal consultations, starting from the first trimester.
The risks of a pregnancy at a young age are huge, draw the attention of the specialists: newborn with low birth weight; the death of the newborn; the death of the fetus; miscarriage and complications; premature birth; pregnancy induced hypertension; the death of the mother; abandonment of the newborn; social isolation; post-partum depression; The absenteeism and school dropout.
The data presented are included in the informative materials of the campaign to promote the health of the reproduction “Find yourself! Get involved! Choose the right solution for you”, which the National Institute of Public Health and the County Directorates of Public Health and of the Municipality of Bucharest runs between July-August 2025.
