[Perception of adolescent pregnancy in the Department of North Santander, Colombia].

Objetive: Analyze the perception of adolescent pregnancy in the Department of North Santander.

Method: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with 406 adolescent mothers between 10 and 19 years old in 6 sub-regions of the department. We used a structured survey and the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS; Version No. 23) was employed for the data tabulation.

Results: 69 % of adolescents believe that unplanned pregnancy is associated with the lack of sexual education. 66 % say that it is preventable with the use of contraceptive methods. It is known that unwanted pregnancies are the main cause of school dropouts for 62 % of adolescents.

Discussion: Ensuring greater access to sex education and facilitating the free and easy access to contraception can reduce the problem of teen pregnancy.