US Teen Pregnancies Stats 2017: Teen Pregnancy Decreases as More Teens Use Contraceptives
A U.S. government study reveals that the number of teen pregnancies continues to decline over the years.
According to a report from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics that was released on Thursday, those who have engaged in sexual activities by 18 used contraceptive methods during their first sexual encounters. These were based on the data gathered from 4,100 male and female American teens under the range of 15–19 years old from 2011 up to 2015.
Based on the study, about 97 percent of teenage women who had sex used condoms during their intercourse. Then 60 percent opted to use withdrawal as their contraception of choice, while about 56 percent chose to take oral contraceptive pills.
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This reportedly helped in lessening the rate of teenage pregnancies to 22 per 1,000 females during the year 2015. This is significantly fewer compared to the 62 per 1,000 rate that was gathered during a study in 1991.
However, the author of the study named Joyce C. Abma explained to CBS News that the rate of teen pregnancy in the U.S. is higher than that in other developed countries. It also has several negative consequences such as individual and societal expenses.
"That in addition to sexually transmitted infections, these are public health issues that we need to get a hold on what the causes are. Sexual activity and contraceptive use are the direct mechanisms that drive these trends," the study author explained.
However, Seattle Children's Hospital professor Cora Breuner said that while the rate of contraception use continues to rise, she is expecting it to be more prevalent.
"It really should be 100%," she stated, suggesting that the numbers should be higher. "While it's good, it's not good enough. We need to do better."
