Teenage Pregnancy Rates Plummet – As The Rise Of The Older Mum Continues

When IS the right time to have a baby? Is there one? Start a family too early and you risk ‘missing’ out on a career but leave it too late and fertility struggles could throw a spanner in the works. It’s tough being a woman.

We’ve known for a while now that mums are getting older, as financial worries, settling down and career goals deter lots of women from getting pregnant.

But what we didn’t know, until now, is just how few teen mums there are.

New figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveal that the number of teenage girls falling pregnant is the lowest it’s been in 40 years.

Looking at stats from 2013, the ONS results showed a dramatic decrease in teen pregnancy rates in the last few years. Also highlighted was which parts of the UK has the highest and lowest teen pregnancy rates.

Hastings was shown to be the teenage pregnancy capital, with one in 20 women under 18 pregnant. Second highest was Burnley in Lancashire, followed by Blackpool, Corby and Middlesborough.

Waverly in Surrey had the lowest teen pregnancy rate.

The Rise Of The Older Mum Contines
While girls aged 18 and younger and less likely to get pregnant than ever before, the amount of women aged 30 conceiving a child is steadfastly increasing.

The conception rate for women aged 30 to 39 increased to 64.5 conceptions per thousand women, almost doubling since 1990.

The ‘best’ age for a woman to get pregnant is between the age of 20 and 35 – while the UK average age of a first-time mum was revealed last year to be 30.

After the age of 35, fertility issues can come into play and birth can be more difficult.

But rather than trying to deter women from starting a family later in life, experts think that couples need to be better informed and cared for.

Clare Murphy, director of external affairs at British Pregnancy Advisory Service, told Mail Online that there are many reasons for this trend – and that more support is needed for older mums.

“There are many reasons for this, not least the time it takes to achieve financial stability and establish a career,” says Murphy. “Women are often warned about leaving it too late to start tying for a baby, but this really needs to be kept in perspective.

“Pregnancy and childbirth for older women can present particular challenges, but rather than pressuring women into having children than they feel is right for them, we need to ensure maternity services are in place to deliver the care they need.”

[Baby Blog: Young Mums Vs Society – Why Is Age Such An Issue When It Comes To Parenthood?]

[Could Stressing About Being An ‘Older’ Mum Harm Your Fertility More Than Your Age?]