There is no absolutely safe period when a female can be assured of not becoming pregnant. Just one occurence would already be too much for a girl. Other than abstinence, there is no 100 percent foolproof method of birth control, even when directions are followed correctly. Teenage mothers and their babies are much more likely to experience health complications. The younger the mother, the greater the hazard.
Babies born to teenage mothers are two to three times as likely to die during the first year.
Lifelong, such children more often display lower intellectual and academic achievement, plus problems of self-control and social behavior. Teenage mothers often spend their lives on welfare. A large portion of the federal budget for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program goes to households where the mother gave birth in her teens. Women who become mothers in their teen years are likely to have jobs with less status, lower incomes, and less satisfaction all through their lives. People who become parents during their teens may be more likely to become child abusers, perhaps because of resentment over what they've missed.