Datapoint: Fewer Women Becoming Pregnant in Teens, Early 20s, Federal Report Shows

June 29, 2012 — Since 1990, pregnancy rates among adolescents and women in their early 20s have steadily declined, while rates among women above age 30 have increased, according to the latest data from CDC's National Center for Health Statistics. Pregnancy rates among women ages 25-29 remained relatively stable, according to the report, which covered 1990 through 2008.

The researchers noted that many factors can affect pregnancy rates, including:

~ Changes in contraceptive use, including the proportion of women using contraceptives, the methods used, and how consistently and effectively they use them;

~ Changes in marriage, divorce and cohabitation, which affect intercourse patterns and the social and economic context of childbearing; and

~ Changes in sexual activity.

Influence of Contraceptive Use

Patterns shown in other federal data shed light on the factors that influenced the trends in the report, NCHS said. Notably, there has been "a steady, long-term decline" in the proportion of teens who have ever had sex, accompanied by a growing proportion who used contraception and the increased availability and use of more-effective methods (National Vital Statistics Reports, NCHS, 6/20).

Pregnancy trends among women in their early 20s also reflect contraceptive use patterns, the report's authors said. Younger women are using more-effective birth control methods, such as combining condoms with hormonal contraceptives, said lead author Stephanie Ventura.

Abortion rates also declined across all age groups. "If pregnancy rates are down, including both births and abortion rates, that would show more efforts to prevent unwanted pregnancies," Ventura said (Dobuzinskis, Reuters/Chicago Tribune, 6/19).