An Irish study says, pregnant teenagers are more likely to give birth prematurely and have a small baby than women in their 20s. <br/><br/>A study of more than 50,000 women in England found 14 to 17-year-olds were also more likely to give birth early if they were having a second child. The study included all women aged between 14 and 29 who had given birth in north-west England over a two-year period. <br/><br/>The findings, reported in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, highlighted the importance of routine medical checks. The team said more studies were needed to find out why the young were at risk. <br/><br/>Researcher Dr Ali Khashan, from University College Cork, in the Republic of Ireland, said it might be that the risk of premature birth in the young teenagers was related to biological immaturity.