Early pregnancy is related to low income of people

A RECENT survey figured out that pregnancy before the age of 18 is prevalent among those with low per capita household income. The prevalence is the highest (46.3 per cent) among the lowest per capita household-income group (less than Tk 2,500 per month). The survey also revealed that among the participants, 35.8 per cent of women in Bangladesh conceive their first child before turning 18. The highest incidence of early pregnancy was observed in the Rangpur division (48.9 per cent).
The survey results show that decisions regarding family-planning methods are taken jointly by males and females in 69.3 per cent of households. They mostly receive family planning information from television (53.7 per cent), community workers (33.2 per cent) and social media (29.5 per cent). Around 18 percent of the surveyed women faced physical violence over the last 12 months; the highest 21.9 per cent reported physical violence in households.
Every day almost 800 women die from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. A maternal death occurred almost every two minutes in 2020. Between 2000 and 2020, the maternal mortality ratio dropped by about 34 per cent per 100,000 live births worldwide. In Bangladesh, the rate of maternal mortality is 245 per every 100,000 live births. Bangladesh loses approximately 7,660 women each year from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth.
The government is working towards ensuring a women-friendly society. Gender-based violence is prevalent all over the world. The unpaid job of care-giving, mostly performed by women, is yet to be recognised. We have to change this situation. The prevalence of malnourishment among adolescent girls and pregnant women is high in Bangladesh, and one-third of such women have low BMI and anaemia. Some studies have illustrated that the health condition of mothers can affect the fetal growth and birth size of children.
Maternal health is the litmus test of the basic health system of any country, and Bangladesh is still lagging here though private clinics and costly public health institutions in the capital have mushroomed.