Pregnancy and childbirth complications are the second cause of death among pregnant adolescents globally. Early childbearing increases risks for both mothers and their new-born, thus visitation to ante-natal clinics is warranted to monitor their progress. Despite this assertion, the barriers and facilitators that enhance the utilisation of ante-natal services remains minimally explored in most parts of Ghana. This study sought to assess the barriers and facilitators of utilisation of antenatal care services among pregnant adolescents in Asante Akyem North District. Qualitative description was employed. Purposive sampling was used to recruit pregnant adolescents utilising ante-natal services in the district. Face to face semi-structured interviews were conducted following which the data were analysed using thematic analysis. Four themes and seven subthemes emerged from the data. The key facilitators include location, cost, privacy, and confidentiality at the service delivery point. Despite these facilitators, a barrier that affected their levels of utilisation was community perceptions about adolescent pregnancy. Experiences of pregnant adolescents highlight several barriers and facilitators which when taken together can affect the level of utilisation of ANC services. Given the critical nature of ANC services, it is important that adolescent focused services are provided in the district to promote utilisation.

Keywords: adolescence; ante-natal services; pregnancy