10-year-old recorded as youngest to give birth at MCMH for 2023

Statistics presented at the 28th Perinatal Conference showed that the Obstetric and Gynaecology Department at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital (MCMH), recorded a decrease in teenage pregnancies in 2023, but an increase in the number of deliveries.

In her presentation, OBGYN Dr Sherina Slater broke down the data which showed that at least three of the teen pregnancies delivered in SVG last year were recorded among girls aged 10 to 14 years.

“We had a total of 191 teens delivered for the year 2023…We had three in the ages 10 to 14 -both pregnant and delivery. The pregnancy numbers for age 15 to 17- we have 70; 58 of those which did go on to deliver; age 18 to 19, we had 118 and 95 had delivery.”

In detailing the teen pregnancy rate, Dr Slater said there was a five percent decrease in 2023 compared with 2022.

“The teenage pregnancy rate, we had a rate of 10.9 percent, and teenage delivery rate of 13.5 percent.

The total teenage delivery trend over ten years, we do see 157 in 2023…in comparison to 148 in 2022, and 131 in 2021. We did have a fall in the teenage pregnancy rate but we had an increase in the teenage delivery rate.

In 2021 the teenage pregnancy rate was 8.6; 2022, 26 percent; and in 2023, 11 percent.”

For the year 2023, a total of 1,180 were recorded and of these 1,664 were live births. Sixteen still births were recorded; there were 26 neonatal deaths with 19 being classified as early neonatal deaths and seven as late.