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- Title
Pregnancies Averted Among U.S. Teenagers By the Use of Contraceptives.
- Authors
Kahn, James G.; Brindis, Claire D.; Glei, Dana A.
- Abstract
Context: The personal and social costs associated with teenage pregnancy in the United States concern many policymakers and researchers, yet the role of contraception in preventing these pregnancies has not been adequately quantified. Methods: Published estimates of contraceptive effectiveness were applied to 1995 National Survey of Family Growth data on sexual and contraceptive practices in order to estimate the number of pregnancies averted through the use of contraceptives by U.S. teenagers. Four scenarios of contraceptive access--from current levels of access to highly restricted access--and teenagers' sexual and contraceptive practices in response to such restrictions are used to project the potential impact on pregnancies among teenagers. Results: Current levels of contraceptive use averted an estimated 1.65 million pregnancies among 15-19-year-old women in the United States during 1995. If these young women had been denied access to both prescription and over-the-counter contraceptive methods, an estimated one million additional pregnancies (ranging from 750,000 to 1.25 million) would have occurred, assuming some decrease in sexual activity. These pregnancies would have led to 480,000 five births, 390,000 abortions, 120,000 miscarriages, 10,000 ectopic pregnancies and 37 maternal deaths. Conclusions: Contraceptive use by teenage women prevents pregnancies and negative pregnancy-related health consequences that can disrupt the fives of adolescent women and that have substantial societal costs. Continued and expanded access to contraceptives for adolescents is a critically important public health strategy.
- Publication
Family Planning Perspectives, 1999, Vol 31, Issue 1, p29
- ISSN
0014-7354
- Publication type
Academic Journal
- DOI
10.2307/2991554