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People usually associate the question of unplanned pregnancies with young, immature teenagers who suddenly discover that they are pregnant.

Surprisingly, unplanned pregnancies are on the rise for older women too; the number of pregnancies occurring among women over forty is increasing.

From the findings of the Family Planning Association, or FPA, it appears that a large number of women who are in their mid-forties or over, don’t use contraception, believing that they are not likely to become pregnant because of their age. This is one of the main reasons why a significant number of people in this age group are unexpectedly becoming pregnant.

There is a widespread belief that for women over forty, it is less safe to give birth for both the mother and the child, which is why fewer people in this age group plan on becoming pregnant.

While it is true that women start losing their fertility from the late thirties onwards, becoming pregnant at this age is still a real possibility. Women have become pregnant into their 50’s; and even some who have become pregnant in their 60’s. Although women between ages 30 and 34 have the highest rate of fertility, pregnancies still occur well beyond those years. According to the findings of the FPA, it seems that women are looking at the highest age for fertility too literally, and overlooking the possibility of becoming pregnant beyond this period in their lives.

The increasing rate of pregnancy among women over forty is accompanied by an increasing abortion rate. Quite surprisingly, the rate of abortion among women between ages 40 and 45 is the same as those under age 16. This trend goes against the common belief that the rate is higher for the age group under 16. The rate of abortion among these two groups currently accounts for approximately 50% of all pregnant women.

There are varied reasons why women choose abortion. One reason that is likely to influence women over forty is anxiety about birth abnormalities. These are more likely among children of an older mother, and women who discover signs of birth abnormalities are apt to make a decision to terminate a pregnancy.

The time in which to have a child is important in a woman’s life. It is not difficult to understand the many reasons why young people place a great deal of thought into deciding when the time is right to have a child. They may not have completed their education or begun a career, or they may think they are too immature to raise young children.

For women over forty, timing can be an equally important issue. They are likely to already have a family, and may not wish to be raising a child into their fifties.

It is not only young people who are in need of better reproductive health education. Unwanted pregnancies may eventually become higher among middle aged women than the much younger group. There is a slight fall in the rate of teenage pregnancies, but pregnancies among women in their 40’s and above is on the rise.


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