The World Health Organisation (WHO) released a new guideline aimed at preventing adolescent pregnancy and its related health complications.

The guideline urges action to end child marriage, extend girls' schooling, and improve access to sexual and reproductive health services – all critical factors for reducing early pregnancies.

"Early pregnancies can have serious physical and psychological consequences for girls and young women," said Dr Pascale Allotey, Director of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research at WHO. "Tackling this issue means creating conditions where girls and young women can thrive – by ensuring they stay in school, are protected from violence, and can access sexual and reproductive health services."

More than 21 million adolescent girls become pregnant each year in low- and middle-income countries, about half of whom are unintended. Early pregnancy impacts girls' education and employment prospects and brings serious health risks, including infections, preterm births, and unsafe abortions.

Reasons for early pregnancy include gender inequities, poverty, and lack of access to services. There is a strong link to child marriage: in low- and middle-income countries, 9 in 10 adolescent births happen among married girls.

The guideline recommends strengthening girls' education and employment prospects. Completing secondary schooling could reduce child marriages by two-thirds. It also urges laws to prohibit marriage under the age of 18.

Finally, it calls for high-quality, adolescent-responsive health services and comprehensive sexuality education to reduce early pregnancies and improve adolescents' knowledge about their bodies and reproductive health.

Source: World Health Organisation