The pregnant adolescent prostitute

R. W. Deisher, J. A. Farrow, K. Hope and C. Litchfield
Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle 98195.

The issue of teenage pregnancy is one of paramount concern and has been covered extensively in the professional literature. Teenage prostitution, as well, has drawn attention from medical and social science researchers. An increasing number of teenage prostitutes are becoming pregnant and delivering infants. These young women constitute a high-risk group that merits professional investigation and requires sensitive clinical approaches. We describe the pregnancy and early postpartum outcomes of 61 teenage prostitutes (age range, 13 to 18 years) in Seattle, Wash, during the period from January 1987 to February 1988. The subjects' environment, prenatal care, drug use, contraceptive practices, repeated pregnancies, and risk for sexually transmitted diseases (including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) are discussed. Two case examples are used for illustration.