The province of Sancti Spíritus concluded the second week of October with 236 expectant mothers under the age of 18, resulting in an adolescent pregnancy rate of 15.8%, according to statistics from the Maternal and Child Health Program (PAMI) published this Sunday by the official newspaper Escambray.
On her part, Vilma Torres Valdivia, advisor to the PAMI department in the Health Directorate of the territory, stated to the Cuba News Agency that the figures represent a 3.5% increase compared to the same period in the previous year.
The municipalities of Taguasco, Yaguajay, Sancti Spíritus, La Sierpe, and Jatibonico have the highest incidence, while the last two exceed the provincial average, emphasized Escambray.
"It's not just a statistical indicator. Behind each case is a girl facing physical, emotional, and social changes for which, in many instances, she is still not prepared," the media outlet warned.
She recalled that early motherhood interrupts education, limits personal projects, and increases health risks for both the mother and the baby, in addition to creating economic dependency and familial vulnerability.
Among the factors that perpetuate the problem, the source pointed to the lack of adequate information, limited communication at home, and the scarcity of contraceptive methods, which the text itself describes as "now very scarce."
The lack of condoms worsens teenage pregnancy in the country since at least 2020, which has turned protection into a privilege dependent on the informal market or each family's economic capacity.
The phenomenon is not exclusive to Sancti Spíritus. At a national level, the Ministry of Public Health (Minsap) acknowledged that 18.2% of registered pregnant women in Cuba during 2025 were adolescents. The Deputy Minister Julio Guerra Izquierdo admitted that the reduction between 2024 and 2025 was only one percentage point.
In Las Tunas, teenage pregnancy surged to 19% in the first half of 2026, three points higher than the previous period, despite official campaigns.
Data from the Gender Observatory of Alas Tensas reveals that 64.5% of adolescent pregnancies in Cuba involve adult men.
Grisell Rodríguez, representative of the United Nations Population Fund in Cuba, classifies this pattern as "an expression of gender-based violence" and notes that 99% of these pregnancies are unintended.
Minsap published in May the , which requires the notification of every pregnancy in individuals under 18 and guarantees access to at least three contraceptive methods. However, data from the second semester in Sancti Spíritus and other provinces show that the measure has not reversed the trend.
Escambray emphasized that prevention campaigns should move away from general messages and reach neighborhoods, educational centers, and homes, while calling for prioritized attention for municipalities facing the worst conditions.
"The teenage pregnancy rate in the province is a warning sign due to its implications for society, for the girls, and for those around them," she emphasized.
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