Is the incidence of unplanned pregnancy among sexually active teenagers any higher than the general populace?

Question

I keep seeing questions/comments like "look at all the teen pregnancy these days, they're just too stupid to use protection and they shouldn't be having sex."

I'm not disputing that teens are stupid or that they get pregnant. My question is: Out of, say, 1,000 sexually active teens, do more have unplanned pregnancies than per 1,000 sexually active adults?

I am only interested in an answer if you can cite sources. I am having a hard time finding relevant statistics for this online.

PLEASE people, not to be rude, but READ THE QUESTION before answering. I did not ask whether adults were better prepared for unplanned preganancy, your opinion, or anecdotal evidence. PLEASE ONLY ANSWER IF YOU CAN CITE YOUR SOURCES.

Martin Neville, I look forward to your reply if you find something.

Again, sorry if that sounded at all rude. You all have good points, but that is not the topic of the question.

OK, here's some information I WAS able to dig up so far, for those who are interested:

• teen pregnancy in the U.S. is at its lowest level in 30 years, down 36% since 1990.

pretty interesting, huh?

• in 2002, the pregnancy rate for women under the age of 18 was 50.9 out of 1,000

http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/state_pregnancy_trends.pdf

The overall U.S. birthrate is also at a record low

http://usgovinfo.about.com/cs/censusstatistic/a/aabirthrate.htm

Hi .vato. ! That's an excellent point. In fact, I found an article here

http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/3509403.html

talking about that very issue. apparently it's very hard to measure the real rate of unintended pregnancies for a number of reasons, but here's a quote:

"A major problem with surveys on unintended pregnancy is that most measure women's intentions retrospectively—after a birth has occurred. Such reports of intentions are likely influenced by the presence of the infant. Retrospectively reported intentions generally become more positive over time—for example, a smiling baby may result in a more positive recollection of past intentions."

Answer 1

It's tough to respoind to this question in generalities. The most recent research breaks the population of "teenagers" down into various sub-groups, based upon ethnic, geographic, socio-economic, educational and other factors, many inter-related. I'm sure that some of these sub-groups have higher incidences of unplanned pregnancies than others, and those numbers would then need to be compared with the same "non-teenager sub groups" within the general population to see if there are any significant differences.

Sorry to sound academic, but this is a very valid question to ask and something that we need to be informed about.

I'd check with the National Institute of Health in Washington, DC, the headquarters of Planned Parenthood, as well as the public information offices of your state and city health department. They should be able to point you in the right direction.

Good luck!

Answer 2

I thought this question was pretty interesting. I was unable to cite any sources so I didn't answer the question but I just thought I'd add my two cents in now that you have found your answer.

Many new parents 25+ do not admit to their children being "mistakes" or "accidents." They just roll with it so I think it will be hard to find actual statistics seeings as many adults never admit that they did not plan to have the child.

I think if we could see we'd all be surprised at how many parents 25+ do have surprises. I watch many birthing shows and it's surprising that many of the mothers featured aren't married nor did they plan to have the children.

Hopefully you'll find more information but I just thought I'd add in my two cents.

Answer 3

The difference is that adults are better able to deal with unplanned pregnancies. We have health insurance and houses and money and the means to raise children - teenagers don't. An unplanned pregnancy in a marriage is a "surprise" - an unplanned pregnancy in a teenager is a catastrophe.

Answer 4

Yes because teens have less information about sex. They are too shy to talk about contraception with their partner. And they are in denial. Pregnancy can't happen to them. They are also trying to keep their sexual activity a secret from their parents. Who's paying for the protection. Just read all the questions and misconceptions that are posted here.

Answer 5

I can't cite any sources but I wanted to say that it seems that pregnancy is higher now-a-days in teens and adults. Well, I know that doesn't quite answer your whole question. But, everyday I see about 10 people pregnant and they are all different ages. Well, I just had to put my imput because I see it everyday especially in schools and everyday life.

Answer 6

i don't know where to find statistics for it, but in health class i learned that teens are more fertile. that is what my health teacher said anyways

Answer 7

i will research this for you and report back results.