Teenage pregnancy rates and STIs starting to rise

The Government is facing calls to invest in prevention measures after new figures reveal that teenage pregnancies have risen for the first time in 14 years.

Newly released figure from the Office for National Statistics on conceptions in 2022 showed after a long-term declining trend, pregnancy in under-18s is rising once more.

The conception rates rose to 2.2 per 1,000 women aged under 16 years and 17.6 conceptions per 1,000 women aged 16 to 17 years in 2022 after a low of 16.2 and 2.1, respectively, in the pandemic.

Rates are still below pre-pandemic levels, but public health experts and the Local Government Association warned that renewed action is needed.

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In the 25 years since the publication of the Teenage Pregnancy Strategy for England, under-18 conception rates have fallen by 70%, the LGA said with steepest decline in areas of deprivation.

The figures also show a rise in abortions in this group. Other data has shown an increase in sexually transmitted infections in the wider population and a fall in condom use among adolescents.

Together it points to a picture of lost momentum, the LGA warned, and is happening amidst funding cuts facing councils.

It called for national direction to tackle the inequalities driving these trends and to support councils, the NHS and Integrated Care Boards to turn the tide and respond effectively.

And an updated sexual and reproductive health strategy is needed for England as well as more timely data to help direct prevention efforts and stop any further increase.

Dr Wendy Taylor, chair of the LGA’s Health and Wellbeing Committee, said: ‘Councils have led the way in reducing teenage pregnancies. We must now build on the achievements of the past 25 years by tackling persistent inequalities, digital exclusion, school absence and pandemic legacies.

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‘Teenage pregnancy is not just a public health issue, it’s about safeguarding, education, and social justice. Supporting young parents is equally vital to improving outcomes and breaking cycles of disadvantage.’

Gillian McLauchlan, spokesperson for sexual and reproductive health for the Association of Directors of Public Health, said: ‘Until recently, the reduction in the number of teenage pregnancies has been one of the unsung success stories of public health.

‘This success wasn’t by chance, but instead was the result of an evidence-based national strategy which is no longer in place.

She added there were many examples local organisations working in partnership to provide high-quality relationship and sex education, youth-friendly contraceptive services, and targeted support for those most at risk of unplanned pregnancy.

‘However, funding for this work has been consistently cut over the last decade and, despite the people on the ground’s best efforts, it has become impossible to meet rising demand.

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‘To reverse the rise in teenage pregnancy at the same time as reducing the rates of STIs, the Government must work with local leaders to develop a national strategy that incorporates the successes from previous work.’

This article was first published in our sister title, Pulse.