Conception rates rise for women over 30
According to new figures from the Office for National Statistics on Conceptions in England and Wales:
- In 2011 there were an estimated 909,109 conceptions, compared with 909,245 in 2010, a decrease of less than 0.1%.
- Conception rates in 2011 increased for women aged 30 years and over. In 2010 it was 63.5 per thousand women aged 30-44 and in 2011 65.2.
- It stayed the same for women aged 25–29 and decreased for women aged under 25 years.
- The under 18 conception rate for 2011 is the lowest since 1969 at 30.9 conceptions per thousand women aged 15–17.
- The estimated number of conceptions to women aged under 18 also fell to 31,051 in 2011 compared with 34,633 in 2010, a decrease of 10%.
- For girls aged under 16, the estimated number was 5,991 in 2011, compared with 6,674 in 2010 (a fall of 10%).