Tyne and Wear teenage pregnancy rate falls to record low, new figures reveal

The teenage pregnancy rate in Tyne and Wear has fallen to its lowest level since 2011, figures reveal. Picture: PA

New Office for National Statistics data shows only 21 in 100,000 women aged 15 to 17 got pregnant in the three months to March 2018, the latest period for which data is available.

That's the lowest level for the same three-month period since current records began in 2011.

This reflects stats across England, where teenage pregnancies fell to 17 in 100,000 in the three months to March.

A spokesperson for the British Pregnancy Advisory Service said: “Our research also indicates that shifts in young people’s attitudes and lifestyles have played a significant role. Increased use of social media among and more focus on their family life and future careers, as well as a decline in alcohol consumption, have all contributed to the fall in teen pregnancies.”

There were 87 pregnancies in Tyne and Wear in the first three months of 2018, compared to 179 in 2011 – a fall of 51 per cent.

Across England, the number of pregnancies fell over the same period, from 7,373 to 3,678.

The BPAS spokesperson added: “We know that public health budgets have faced deep cuts in recent years, with over a third of local authorities reducing, or planning to reduce, their contraceptive services since 2015.

“It is important that services are maintained so that regional variations, which will be due to complex factors, do not become more pronounced.”