There are fewer teenage pregnancies, but mothers are getting smaller.
Although the number of pregnancies in teenage women, considered as such when the mother is between 12 and 19 years old, has decreased in Jalisco in recent years, It has been identified that mothers are getting younger and younger.
This was announced by Dr. Patricia Romo Huerta, head of the Pregnant Adolescent Care Clinic at the New Juan I. Menchaca Civil Hospital in Guadalajara, who explained, using data from pregnant adolescent patients treated at Guadalajara's Civil Hospitals, that the average age of pregnancies in minors is between 15 and 18 years, although in recent years the number of patients below this age range has increased.
"The average age is generally between 15 and 18 years old. But this doesn't mean we don't have girls aged 14, 13, and even 12 or younger. In 2024, for example, we had six 13-year-old girls (pregnant) and 26 14-year-old girls. Now, we have eight 12-year-old girls, 10 13-year-old girls, and 11 14-year-old girls. The average age, as I say, is between 15 and 18, but this tells me that the number of younger girls (pregnant) is increasing,” the specialist lamented at a press conference on World Day for the Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy, which is commemorated every September 26.
In addition, Dr. Ernesto Ledezma Hurtado, Head of the Obstetrics Service at the Former Fray Antonio Alcalde Civil Hospital of Guadalajara, warned that maternal deaths of these patients have also already occurred: in 2024, the death of a pregnant teenager was recorded, and so far in 2025, one more death has been recorded.
READ: San Miguel el Alto celebrates its 2025 festivitiesAlthough this is a sample related to the care provided by the Civil Hospital of Guadalajara, It reflects an overview of how and under what circumstances pregnancies occur among adolescents between the ages of 12 and 19, despite the fact that these pregnancies have decreased in recent years.
According to the State Group for the Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy in Jalisco (Gepeajal), in 2018, 21,734 births were recorded, whose mothers were between 10 and 19 years old at the time of birth. However, by the end of 2023, there were 15,401 cases.
By September 2024, the most recent figure reported by Gepeajal, there were 10,395 babies resulting from teenage pregnancies.
Another figure that shows the overall decrease in teenage pregnancies is the Ministry of Health's Percentage of Teenage Pregnancies, which states that 13.8% of the pregnancies registered in Jalisco from January to July of this year were among women between the ages of 10 and 19.
The figure is slightly lower than the 14.49% reported in 2024, although it shows that teenage pregnancies persist, as they have only decreased by 1% between 2021 and so far in 2025 (14.8% and 13.8% respectively).
At the Civil Hospital of Guadalajara alone, there are currently 201 cases of prenatal care for adolescent women, and 105 cesarean sections and 151 births have been performed. These mothers have also received 403 psychological services, Dr. Ledezma Hurtado said at a press conference.
Overall, he stated, this is a public health issue, with Jalisco ranking fifth in the nation for teenage pregnancies, while Mexico is the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) country with the highest teenage pregnancy rate in the world, with 77 out of every thousand adolescents aged 15 to 19.
The 10 Mexican states with the most teenage pregnancies in 2024:1.- State of Mexico: 6,243 2.- Chiapas: 5,112 3.- Puebla: 3,884 4.- Veracruz: 3,738 5.- Jalisco: 3,357 6.- Guanajuato: 2,992 7.- Michoacán: 2,842 8.- Warrior: 2,460 9.- Oaxaca: 2,434 10.- Chihuahua: 2,181
Source: Ministry of Public Health
Teenage pregnancies are associated with unidentified violence.According to Dr. Patricia Romo Huerta, in charge of the Pregnant Adolescent Care Clinic at the New Civil Hospital of Guadalajara, Dr. Juan I. Menchaca, Nowadays in Jalisco, not all teenage pregnancies are due to rape, but rather, it has been identified that it is largely due to the fact that teenagers seek it out. , that is, those who consciously wish to become pregnant or have their babies as a result of an unwanted pregnancy.
“Before, people talked about rape, now they seek it out, and they don't understand that their bodies aren't yet capable of having these babies. They're still growing, so having a baby is a bigger problem. That's why we must emphasize the risks of these pregnancies for the well-being of both mother and baby,” the doctor noted.
This, she explained, is often due to the various forms of violence they experience within their relationships with their partners, which, in most cases, stem from unidentified forms of violence.
“Many of our adolescents don't know they're experiencing violence; they think a slap is normal and it's because they're loved. But it's not just physical violence; there's also psychological and economic violence. Of the 354 patients we saw at Civil Hospital 256, we could say they reported signs of some form of violence. We need to teach our girls what violence is, so they don't accept it. That's where our psychological departments come in, so they can identify it, so they can become more aware and build self-esteem,” said Dr. Romo.
She pointed out that this even applies to rapes that don't appear to be rape, because they consider sexual relations consensual—that is, they are being raped—but they accept it precisely because of these unconscious forms of violence, such as economic violence or the need for affection. “Sometimes they decide to have that baby so they won't be left behind and continue with those partners,” added Dr. Patricia Romo.
Furthermore, the specialists commented, it has been identified that in cases where the mothers are teenagers, their partners are around four years older than them, although there are cases where the father of the baby is up to 20 years older than them. "This is what draws our attention; fortunately, it's not the majority, but we are already studying this problem because it is occurring," commented Dr. Romo.
You might be interested in: The 5th "Panther Heart" blood donation campaign kicks off.Furthermore, he said, based on the protocol followed at Guadalajara Civil Hospitals for the care of pregnant adolescent patients, when it is identified that the father of the baby is over 18 years old and the woman is a minor, the intervention of the Public Prosecutor's Office of the State Attorney General's Office is requested to establish responsibilities and prosecute any cases that may be necessary.
In general, the specialists pointed out, in this sense teenage pregnancies put women in a double vulnerability, The first of these is the unconscious violence they experience, and the second is the challenges they must face as young mothers, both in terms of health, economics, and education.
Psychologist Michelle Anahí Ramírez, head of the Obstetric Psychology Department at the Fray Antonio Alcalde Civil Hospital, believes it's not just about adolescents learning about contraceptive methods, but also about providing them with information about what having a baby entails, in terms of finances and responsibilities, as well as psychological counseling to guide them on a future plan.
“At those ages, we don't hear much from parents, children, and our adolescents, because they are rebellious. They are, however, in the process of self-understanding their bodies, and it's necessary to recognize that it's important for parents to also be educated about sexuality and to be able to talk about it with our children without judgment, to be able to speak freely about it. But for this, we also need to re-educate parents,” commented teacher Michelle Ramírez.
Parental re-education, stated Dr. Leonor Hernández Galindo, assigned to the Pregnant Adolescent Care Clinic, also plays a role because teenage pregnancies are also a result of sociodemographic factors, such as gender, educational level, job status, income, and place of residence, among others. "When a teenage pregnancy occurs, the complications become financial. They feel emotionally unstable because they don't know how they're going to support this baby they already have; they stop going to school, their world changes, and they no longer have a way to support that baby, so all those responsibilities shift to the parents," lamented the psychologist.
Both Michelle Anahí Ramírez and Ernesto Ledezma Hurtado agreed that awareness must go beyond high school, since adolescents today are beginning their sexual lives in the early stages of secondary education (12 to 15 years old). "So we have to go to the primary stages, towards the later years, where we have to be talking about these open topics of sexuality, and raise awareness among parents, because they are the first pillar we have to reach,” said Ledezma Hurtado.
It's not just about birth controlOverall, and considering all of the above, the specialists stated that it is not just a matter of lack of knowledge regarding contraceptive methods, but rather a comprehensive situation that requires attention, especially for adolescents, so that they can identify such forms of violence and prevent them from being manipulated into having sex, whether due to a lack of self-esteem, economic reasons, or attention.
They noted that it is crucial for mothers, fathers, and guardians to establish close relationships from childhood so that, by the time they reach adolescence, there is an openness to discuss all these issues. Otherwise, they run the risk of falling into these dangerous situations due to rebellion or lack of self-esteem, which can lead young women to become pregnant at early ages.
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