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Steep decline in unintended pregnancies in U.S., study finds
By Dennis Thompson, HealthDay News |
March 2, 2016 at 5:24 PM
WEDNESDAY, March 2, 2016 -- Accidental pregnancies have reached a three-decade low in the United States, mostly because of long-acting contraceptive methods, a new study found.
The unintended pregnancy rate declined by 18 percent in women of childbearing years between 2008 and 2011, to "the lowest level we've seen in at least 30 years," said Mia Zolna, a research associate at the Guttmacher Institute, a sexual and reproductive health research institute in New York City.
Among U.S. women aged 15 to 44, about 45 out of every 1,000 experienced an unintended pregnancy in 2011. This compared with 54 out of 1,000 women of childbearing age three years earlier, said Zolna and her Guttmacher co-author, Lawrence Finer.
Their report is published in the March 3 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Also, unintended pregnancies occurred less frequently across the board, regardless of age, race, ethnicity or income, Zolna said.
This trend will have a positive impact on women at all levels of American society, said Dr. Adam Jacobs, director of family planning for Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.
"You empower women to choose when they start their family. By doing that, you let them stay in education, which leads to a better income. They're better able to plan their families and plan their lives," Jacobs said.
The percentage of unintended pregnancies that ended in abortion remained fairly stable, 40 percent in 2008 compared with 42 percent in 2011, the researchers found.
The decline in unintended pregnancy is likely due to an uptick in use of long-acting, reversible contraceptives, most notably the IUD, Jacobs said.
more
http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2016/03/02/Steep-decline-in-unintended-pregnancies-in-US-study-finds/7491456957157/
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