Following the death of UW-Eau Claire freshman Karen Hubbard, who died giving birth in a dormitory bathroom, many are wondering how such a tragedy could happen and how it could have been prevented.
Perhaps one of the most baffling aspects of Hubbard’s death is the idea she was unaware of her pregnancy. While it may seem impossible, Kelly Lindgren, assistant professor in the UW-Madison School of Nursing, said some women do not know they are pregnant until they go into labor.
“Anyone who’s been pregnant or known someone who was pregnant probably would have a hard time believing it,” she said. “But when I was working as a staff nurse, I encountered it a few times.”
Young women who miss menstrual periods and gain weight may not interpret such things as indicators of pregnancy, especially if they do not suspect they are pregnant. John DeLamater, UW professor of sociology, said college students are particularly prone to misreading the signs.
“Women under stress sometimes don’t get their periods, and that certainly describes college students,” he said. “Also, most students are told they’ll gain 10 to 15 pounds their freshman year.”
While many women may not initially recognize they are pregnant, Lindgren said few are unaware throughout the entire pregnancy.
“Usually by the end of the pregnancy a woman has realized that she is, in fact, pregnant,” she said.
Scott Spear, director of clinical services at University Health Services, said he believes women always realize they are pregnant, and those who claim to be unaware are in a state of denial.
“The brain is capable of putting painful things out of conscious acknowledgment, things that are psychologically too painful to confront,” he said.
Experts said a variety of social factors can cause a woman to deny her pregnancy or hide it from others. She may fear her family and friends will be disappointed and pressure her to keep the baby or have an abortion. She may also worry how her goals and relationships with men will change.
Although it is difficult for many young women to reveal their pregnancies, Renee Rostad, director of Lifewise, an educational program of the Care Net Center, said overcoming the fear is worthwhile.
“Of the girls who are afraid to tell their parents, the highest number find unbelievable support when they tell them,” she said.
In addition, several experts said a woman should also seek medical assistance, and possibly counseling, once she discovers she is pregnant.
Sarah Mazzie, publicity coordinator for the Campus Women’s Center, said every university has a women’s center or health center that can provide free, confidential help with pregnancy issues or refer a woman to a place where she can learn all her options.
A possible reason why many teen pregnancy-related problems exist is because young women may lack knowledge about pregnancy. For this reason, many people are demanding comprehensive sexual education be taught in all high schools.
Comprehensive education, which teaches students about abstinence and forms of contraception, versus abstinence-only sexual education has been a longstanding battle in public schools. DeLamater said about half of high school students are currently receiving abstinence-only sexual education, a program he called ineffective.
“It’s frustrating because we know there are sex education programs that work,” DeLamater said. “We clearly could be making a difference.”
Spear said abstinence-only education has failed in preventing teenage pregnancies.
“We can’t expect people to be responsible when we’re only telling them not to do it,” Spear said.
Conversely, Rostad said comprehensive education fails to prevent unwanted pregnancies because it devalues the message of abstinence, the only 100 percent effective method of birth control.
“[Comprehensive education] says, ‘I want you to wait, but I know you’re not going to,'” Rostad said.
Regardless of opinions on the cause of teen pregnancy, most experts agree awareness about teenage pregnancy must increase. Communication on the subject is key to finding a solution, Mazzie said.
“The more people we get talking about this, the more people we can reach out to,” she said.
