Many U.S. teens do not use
contraception and condoms consistently. As a result, each year many teens
experience pregnancy, mostly unintended. Yet about half of all pregnancies
among U.S. women each year are unintended. In fact, teens’ use of contraception
and condoms mirrors that of adult women and men.
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Pregnancy Rates in the United States Have Declined But Remain High
* In 2004, teens accounted for about 11 percent of all the pregnancies
among U.S. women, about 10 percent of the births, and just under 7 percent of
the abortions.[1,2,3]
* In the United States in 2004, there were 72.2 pregnancies per 1,000
women ages 15 through 19, including 1.6 per 1,000 teens under age 15; 41.5 per
1,000 teens ages 15 through 17; and 118.6 per 1,000 teens ages 18 and 19.[1]
* Pregnancy rates in 2004 were higher among adult women than among
teens. For example, there were 164 pregnancies per 1,000 women ages 20 through
24; 169 per 1,000 women ages 25 through 29; and 135 per 1,000 women ages 30
through 34.[1]
* Between 1990 and 2004, U.S. adolescent pregnancy rates declined 38
percent among 15- to 19-year-old women; 53 percent among youth under age 15; 46
percent among 15- to 17-year-olds; and 30 percent among 18- to 19-year-olds.[1]
* Teen pregnancy rates dropped in three major ethnic groups in 2004; yet
pregnancy rates remained higher for black and Hispanic teens than for whites.
Among teens ages 15 through 19, the pregnancy rate was 45 per 1,000
non-Hispanic whites; 128 per 1,000 non-Hispanic blacks; and 133 per 1,000
Hispanics.[1]
U.S. Birth
Rates Rise
* In 2006, American women gave birth to 4,265,996 infants, the largest
number of births since 1961. Women ages 15 through 19 had about 10 percent
(435,427) of the births, while women in their 20s had about 53 percent of the
infants.[2]
* Birth rates for U.S. teens ages 15 through 19 rose three percent, from
40.5 in 2005 to 41.9 per 1,000 in 2006, the first increase reported since 1991.
At the same time, birth rates also rose among all age groups of adult women.[2]
* Among U.S. teens ages 15 through 19, the birth rate was lowest among
Asian and Pacific Islanders at 17 per 1,000. The birth rates were: 27 per 1,000
non-Hispanic whites; 55 per 1,000 American Indian/Alaska natives; 64 per 1,000
non-Hispanic blacks; and 83 per 1,000 Hispanics.[2]
Fewer
Young Women Seek Abortions
* Pregnancies among women ages 15 through 19 are more than twice as
likely to end in live birth as in abortion.[1]
* The proportion of abortions obtained by women younger than 20 has
dropped steadily since 1974. In that year women younger than 20 accounted for
33 percent of all abortions; in 1989, 25 percent, and in 2004, only 17
percent.[3]
* The number of abortions in the United States declined by 24 percent
between 1990 and 2004, down from 1.61 million to 1.22 million. In 2004, the
abortion rate was 19.7 per 1,000 women ages 15 through 44,[2,4] and 19.8 per
1,000 women ages 15 through 19.[4,5]
* In 2004, the abortion rate was 11 per 1,000 non-Hispanic whites ages
15 through 19, down from 33 per 1,000 in 1990. Among Hispanic teens, the rate
in 2004 was 27, down from 39 in 1990. For non-Hispanic black teens, the 2004
rate was 47, down from 84 in 1990.[1]
* Between 1990 and 2004, the abortion rate fell by two-thirds among
non-Hispanic white teens, by almost a third among Hispanic teens, and by 44
percent among non-Hispanic black teens.[1]
Young
People Experience the Greatest Proportion of Unintended Pregnancies
* While about half of all pregnancies in the United States are
unintended, rates of unintended pregnancy are highest among women ages 18 and
19 and 20 through 24.[6]
* The proportion of unintended pregnancies remains highest among women
under age 20. In other words, about 85 percent of teenage pregnancies are
unintended compared to about 50 percent among adult women.[6]
* Unintended pregnancy rates are about four times higher among women
whose income is at or below the federal poverty line (112 per 1,000 women) than
among women whose income is at least twice the federal poverty level (29 per
1,000).[6]
Contraceptive
Use and Inconsistent Use Are Problematic Among American Women
* Half of all unintended pregnancies occur among contraceptive users; 90
percent result from inconsistent or incorrect method use.[7]
* By comparison, half of all unintended pregnancies occur among the
relatively small percentage of women who use no contraception. For example,
half of all unintended pregnancies among sexually active high school students
occurs among the 88 percent who use contraception (even if inconsistently or
incorrectly) and half occurs among the 12 percent who report using no method.[8,9]
* Studies show that women with ambivalent attitudes toward pregnancy use
contraceptives less consistently and less effectively than women who have
clear, firm motivation to avoid pregnancy.[8]
* In 2003, among sexually active high school students who reported using
contraception: 14 percent used oral contraceptives; 49 percent used condoms
only; six percent used both oral contraceptives and condoms; 11 percent relied
on withdrawal; three percent on injected contraception; two percent on both
condoms and injected contraception; two percent used an undefined method; and
less than half of one percent used an undefined method and condoms. Twelve
percent used no method.[9]
* Research shows that males who reported engaging with their partner in
more couple-like activities were more likely to have ever used and always used
contraception as were females who had discussed contraception before sex.[10]
* Research suggests that many teens make decisions about whether to use
contraception and/or condoms within the context of each sexual relationship.
While some studies indicate more consistent use in casual relationships than in
regular or main relationships, other studies indicate that, the less familiar
adolescents felt with a prospective partner, the less likely they were to use
contraception, possibly because they felt less comfortable discussing sex,
sexual histories, and contraception.[10]
* Research also shows that male teens who did not use contraception
during a first sexual relationship were 66 percent less likely to have used
contraception in their latest relationship compared to males who used
contraception at first sex.[9] Males who suffered sexual abuse in the past were
far less likely to use contraception than males who never suffered such
abuse.[8]
* Female teens who did not use contraception during a first sexual
relationship were less likely to have used it in their latest relationship.
Females were also unlikely to use contraception if their partner was initially
a stranger to them. And, females’ likelihood of using contraception was reduced
by 20 percent for each additional partner they had ever had.[10]
References:
1. Ventura SJ et al. Estimated pregnancy rates by outcome for the United
States, 1990-2004. National Vital Statistics Reports 2008; 56(15):1-24;
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr56/nvsr56_15.pdf; accessed 7/23/2008.
2. Hamilton BE et al. Births: preliminary data for 2006. National Vital
Statistics Reports 2007; 56(7):1-18;
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr56/nvsr56_07.pdf; accessed 7/24/2008.
3. Henshaw SK and Kost K. Trends in the Characteristics of Women
Obtaining Abortions, 1974-2004. New York: Guttmacher Institute, 2008.
4. Strauss LT et al. Abortion surveillance, United States, 2004.
Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report, Surveillance Summaries 2007;
56(SS09):1-33.
5. Jones RK et al. Abortion in the United States: incidence and access
to services, 2005. Perspectives on Sexual & Reproductive Health 2008;
40(1):6-16.
6. Finer LB, Henshaw SK. Disparities in rates of unintended pregnancy in
the United States, 1994 and 2001. Perspectives on Sexual & Reproductive
Health 2006; 38(2):90-96.
7. Frost JJ, Darroch JE. Factors associated with contraceptive choice
and inconsistent method use, United States, 2004. Perspectives on Sexual &
Reproductive Health 2008; 40(2):94-104.
8. Frost JJ et al. Factors associated with contraceptive use and nonuse,
United States, 2004. Perspectives on Sexual & Reproductive Health 2007;
39(2):90-99.
9. Santelli JS et al. Contraceptive use and pregnancy risk among U.S.
high school students, 1991-2003. Perspectives on Sexual & Reproductive
Health 2006; 38(2):106-111.
10. Manlove J et al. Contraceptive use and consistency in U.S.
teenagers' most recent sexual relationships. Perspectives on Sexual &
Reproductive Health 2004; 36(6): 265-275.
READ MORE ON CONTRACEPTION
· Emergency
Contraception: A Safe & Effective Contraceptive Option for Teenagers
· Adolescent
Sexual Health in Europe and USA
· Condoms
Are Highly Effective in Preventing HIV Infection
· Comparing
the Effectiveness of Various Contraceptive Methods for Pregnancy Prevention
· Adolescent
Protective Behaviors: Abstinence and Contraceptive Use
· Reproductive
Health Outcomes & Contraceptive Use among U.S. Teenangers
· CONTRACEPTION – CONTRACEPTIVE ACCESS AND INFORMATION - General Facts
· Mejorando el acceso de los jóvenes a los métodos anticonceptivos en America Latina
Tags: Topic: Contraceptive Access
Topic: Teen Pregnancy Type: The Facts