Every year, 70,000 babies are born to South African girls under 18 years old. In 2013, it happened so often that one teenager fell pregnant every 5 minutes! Teen pregnancy also happens more and more as girls move through their teens. You are 12 times more likely to get pregnant at 19 than you are at 15. The problem with teen pregnancy is that it can affect your future in a lot of ways. For one, teenage pregnancy puts both the mother and child at higher risk of HIV infection. Young mothers are also more likely to drop out of school, and it’s often harder for them to find jobs. There are a lot of other challenges they might face too, like health problems, poverty, and the risk of abuse.