A teenager is someone from the age of 13 to 19. Teenage pregnancy means a teenager who is pregnant. In Ghana and many other African countries, most teenagers are within the Junior and Senior High Schools. Naturally, after puberty, girls become women and can be pregnant. These days, it is very rampant to see most teenage girls who are pregnant in school and some dropped out of school. Some cause of teenage pregnancy include;

1. Poor Parental supervision
In some urban areas, parents do not supervise their children. They don’t care where they may be, sleep and what they eat. Some parents leave their children to fend for themselves as well as providing for their parents. Parents are expected to supervise the movement of their children, the friends they move with among others. They must also provide for their children physically, mentally, financially and spiritually to shape them into individual leaders for the future.

2. High level of poverty
The high level of poverty in the country, especially in the rural areas, pushes many teenagers into the cities to search for jobs which later results in engaging in sex trade. They easily exchange sex for food and other favours. Some of them sleep with multiple partners, thereby risking teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
The desire for material things also cause teenagers to engage in immoral sexual activities. The world today is becoming more materialistic; girls are interested in cars, houses, expensive dresses and pleasures of life.

3. Ignorance/inadequate sexual education
The lack of sex education makes many teenagers vulnerable to pre-marital sex that can lead to pregnancy. Parents, society and the educational system do not provide sufficient sex education that makes teenagers well informed to withstand all forms of pressure from peers and irresponsible adults. The high level of ignorance among teenagers contributes greatly to teenage pregnancy in the country.

4. Irresponsible adult behaviour
Some irresponsible adults influence teenage girls with money and presents to lure them into sex. Most of these irresponsible adults even rape or defile their victims and this leads to teenage pregnancy and teenage motherhood. This pregnancy may result in school dropout, prostitution etc.

5. Curiosity and risky adolescent behavior
Most adolescents are influenced by their friends to indulge in sexual activities and out of curiosity gets pregnant.
To curb this menace, parents should take time to supervise their children, society, parents and the educational system should provide adequate sex education for teenagers, irresponsible adults who impregnate girls should be made to face the imprisoned. These among a few will help reduce the rate of teenage pregnancy in the country.