A recently published national study offers new information on teen pregnancy control across the United States. The report measures trends in pregnancy for women of all ages, and the findings will be used for further actions to protect the mother and the child, as well as to increase the number of newborns.
Less and Less Immature Mothers
In 2015, the number of girls with ages between 15 and 19 who gave birth was of 230,000. In comparison with 2014, the number is 8% lower. The falling trend started in 2007, and the most spectacular drop was in 2013 when the number decreased by 9%.
Demographers are impressed with the last year’s drop and say that the trends in this category have the most powerful dynamic from all the other age groups.
Fewer Mothers in Their 20s and More Mothers in Their 30s
Another group that revealed a descending trend is women in their 20s who have a first child. In 2015, the number of young mothers of 20 to 24 years old was 27% lower than in 2007. The birth rate for women aged 25 to 29 is also falling, but with percentages of 2-3% per year.
However, women in their 30s are much more open to having babies, and the trend is on a continuous rise. 101 in 1,000 women with ages between 30 and 34 have given birth to a child in 2015. Mothers with ages of 35 to 39 were 51 in 1,000; a number that also rose 13% since 2010.
Another age group that showed more interest in births is that of women between 40 and 44 years old, with a 4% rise since last year.
Social Changes and the Birth Rate Trends
The results of the study add evidence to the fact that the age of mothers in the US is rising. Another report showed that the average age when a woman gives birth to a child has changed from 24.9 in the year 2000 to 26.3 in 2014.
This tendency is explained by the fact that women have more education and contribute to the house income, which makes them more interested in delaying a birth.
Another factor is that birth control has become easier through years. The latest improvements have been the emergency contraception pill and intrauterine devices and implants, which have a failure rate of less than 1%.
Experts believe that the low rates of teenage pregnancy can be explained by the same factors that convinced women of 20s to delay the first birth.
Cesarean births are also declining, because more and more doctors believe that the operation may be risky for the mother.
The final report will be published in October, and until then researchers will try to find what are the factors involved in these preliminary findings and what measures should be prepared for the next year in order to protect the new families.
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