That Have Been Linked to Teen Pregnancy Risk factors are the hazards or experiences that make teenagers vulnerable to risky or unhealthy behaviors, such as early, unprotected intercourse.
Teens experience a variety of risk factors that can lead to pregnancy.
Some of these risk factors are obvious and some are subtle. The presence of risk factors, in addition to linkages with poverty and race, do not guarantee that sexual activity will occur, but as the number of risk factors increases, so do the odds of that happening. More risk factors mean greater danger for sexual initiation and intercourse that can lead to pregnancy. Some risk factors may be a direct result of a teenager's actions, while others are a result of a teenager's family, peer, and social environment. Families have the responsibility and the power to guide their children beginning in early childhood to help them avoid some risk factors and make healthy choices.