Forgot the pill

Photo / Herald on Sunday

Australian research has investigated the factors that contribute to rapid-repeat pregnancy, those teenage mothers who fall pregnant within two years of giving birth.

A Perth study took in almost 150 first-time teen mothers and it found a third fell pregnant again within the short time-frame, usually the result of "inconsistent" contraception use.

"A surprising finding in our study was that teenagers using an oral contraceptive were as likely as those using barrier methods (condoms) or no contraception" to fall pregnant, reports Lucy Lewis, research midwife for the School of Women's and Infants' Health at the University of West Australia.