Teen pregnancies continue to fall in Falkirk

Teenage pregnancies in Falkirk are at their lowest level since reporting began in 1994.

The trend mirrors what is happening nationally, with teen pregnancies in Scotland having decreased for the tenth consecutive year.

The figures from NHS Information Services Division show that pregnancies among women under 20 have fallen to 32.4 per 1000 women, almost half the 2008 figure of 62.8 per 1000 women.

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However, the Falkirk rate remains slightly above the Scottish average which has fallen to 30.2 per 1000 in 2017 from 54.6 per 1000 in 2008.

The newly released figures also show that for the first time Falkirk’s pregnancy rates for under-16s is lower than the Scottish average, falling gradually from 9.1 per 1000 women in 2006 to a low of 2.8 per 1000 women in 2017.

The latest statistics reveal that the absolute gap in teenage pregnancy rates between the most and least deprived areas is narrowing, as while rates have reduced across all levels of deprivation in recent years, rates in the most deprived areas have fallen more.

Deliveries remain more common than terminations, but delivery rates have fallen faster than termination rates. In 2017 the percentage of teenage pregnancies that ended in termination was the highest since reporting began (45%).

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A spokeswoman for NHS Forth Valley said there was no single reason for the falling pregnancy rate but there were many great initiatives working with young women and families that were having a positive impact.

She said: “The Family Nurse Partnership, for example, works with young women who have had a baby and gives them support.

“If they are supported they can often which go back into education or into work and that may have an impact as young mothers otherwise often go on to have two or three subsequent pregnancies.”

“There are many other schemes that don’t necessarily target teenagers but do help to get young women work experience or get into college, and give them more opportunities.”