Teenage pregnancies fall to record low level

More women in London are getting pregnant aged 35 and older as the number of teenage conceptions continues to fall.

Official statistics released today showed a 1.7 per cent annual increase in conception rates among women aged 35 to 39 in 2013, and a 1.4 per cent increase in women 40 and older.

London took the lead in terms of older women getting pregnant, with 7,516 conceptions to women aged 40 or over in 2013 — almost double the rate for the rest of England and Wales.

The Office for National Statistics figures record the lowest-ever conception rate for girls aged 15 to 17 since records began in 1969. There were 24.5 conceptions per 1,000 teenagers in that age group — down from 27.9 in 2012.

Sexual health charity FPA welcomed the drop in teenage pregnancy rates in London. The capital as a whole reported lower rates for 2013 than the England and Wales average — 21.8 per 1,000 compared to 24.5 per 1,000.

Barking and Dagenham had the highest teenage pregnancy rate in London and the eighth highest in England and Wales, with 40.1 conceptions per 1,000 girls — a total of 154 conceptions. And there were sharp contrasts between boroughs — Barnet’s rate was a quarter of that recorded in Barking and Dagenham.

Barking and Dagenham also had the highest overall conception rate — 111 women out of every 1,000 getting pregnant in 2013.

FPA’s policy manager Harry Walker said: “We are no doubt still seeing the lasting effects of the Government’s 10-year teenage pregnancy strategy.”

There was a decrease in all conceptions in 2013, down 1.3 per cent on the previous year to 872,849.

In London, there were 170,900 conceptions in 2013 — down from 173,724 the previous year.