Pregnant sheep provide info for teenage mums

Adolescent sheep that bear lambs are providing scientists with useful information on how to manage teenage pregnancies in humans.

Scientists at Aberdeen's Rowett Research Institute have discovered that younger sheep that are still growing give birth to smaller offspring as they are competing for nutrients.

"Our studies show that there is competition for nutrients between a mother and her developing offspring when the mother herself is still growing, and that it is the newborn who comes off worse in this situation," said Dr Jacqueline Wallace, lead researcher of the study.

"It follows that formulating correct dietary advice for teenage girls is likely to be complex, particularly if the mother is still growing."

The UK has the highest teenage pregnancy rate in Western Europe. However the rate among under-18s has continued to fall over recent years, dropping from to 41.5 per 1,000 girls in England in 2004 to 41.1 pregnancies per 1,000 in 2005.