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Teen Birth Rates On The Rise

Med Headlines - The number of teens giving birth is on the rise again, according to statistics released this week by the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The report, titled “Births: Preliminary Data for 2006,” shows that between 2005 and 2006 the birth rate for teenagers aged 15-19 rose 3 percent from 40.5 live births per 1,000 in 2005 to 41.9 live births per 1,000 in 2006. This follows a 14-year downward trend in which the teen birth rate fell by 34 percent from its all-time peak of 61.8 births per 1,000 in 1991.

“It’s way too early to know if this is the start of a new trend,” said Stephanie Ventura, head of the Reproductive Statistics Branch at CDC. “But given the long-term progress we’ve witnessed, this change is notable.”

The study also revealed that the percentage of U.S. births to unmarried mothers increased to 38.5 percent, up from 36.9 percent in 2005. The preliminary estimate of total births in the U.S. for 2006 was 4,265,996, a 3 percent increase from 2005. The Caesarean delivery rate rose again in 2006, to 31.1 percent of all births, a 3 percent increase in from 2005 and a new record high. The percentage of all births delivered by cesarean section has climbed 50 percent over the last decade.

The preterm birth rate rose slightly between 2005 and 2006, from 12.7 percent to 12.8 of all births. The percentage of births delivered before 37 weeks of gestation has risen 21 percent since 1990.

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