US Teenage Pregnancy Rate Sees Huge Declines Due To Efficient Use Of Contraceptives, Not Because Of Less Sex

Teenage pregnancy rate in the United States is seeing huge declines due to a high and efficient use of contraceptives. More teens are using highly effective contraception methods instead of putting themselves at risk in unprotected sex.

The latest analysis was conducted by the Guttmacher Institute, an organization that works on the advancement of sexual and reproductive health and rights of people in the U.S. and globally. Dr. Laura Lindberg, the report's lead author and a principal research scientist at the Guttmacher Institute, said in a statement that teenagers' sexual activity remained constant from 2007 to 2012, but their increased use of contraceptives is the primary thing that changed.

From 78 percent, there is now 86 percent of sexually active teenagers who used at least one type of highly effective contraceptive. Those birth control methods include the pill and IUD or implant, which many teens started using from 2007 to 2009.

There was no increased use, however, in lower-quality contraceptives such as condoms and withdrawal among the teenagers. The ring or patch, on the other hand, saw lower use during the 2007 to 2012 period.

Thanks to high birth control use, the U.S. saw a 28 percent lower teenage pregnancy risk from 2007 to 2012. The Guttmacher Institute reported in April that the country's pregnancy rate from 2008 to 2011 dropped to 23 percent for women aged between 15 and 19.

This means that there are only 52.4 pregnancies per 1,000 women in the time period from the 68.2 pregnancies previously reported. The declines in teenage pregnancy were seen across all 50 states and even in racial and ethnic communities.

It was reported earlier in August that today's teenagers and young people are having less sex than older generations, or those born in the 60s and 70s, Mirror reported. A study found that 15 percent of 20 to 24-year-olds (the millennial generation) are abstaining from sex since they turned 18, The Independent added.

This is because teens have found other ways to amuse themselves even though online dating is on the rise and carefree, casual sex is being featured prominently in the entertainment media. The rise of online activity, early access to pornography, and other forms of entertainment are the reasons behind why young people are having less sex.

Young people are now more aware of sexually transmitted diseases and the consequences of unwanted pregnancies thanks to the media and the internet. Expensive house prices and declining alcohol use are contributory factors as well.