Teen birth rates, STDs on the rise

After a 15 year national decline, American teen pregnancies are on the rise again in 26 states. According to the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, both the number of teens giving birth and the rate at which they are having births have increased. The increase was just 1 percent (from 41.9 births per 1,000 females aged 15 to 19 years in 2006 to 42.5 in 2007) but occurred two years in a row.

Another report by the Kaiser Family Foundation released last year found a higher rate of growth in teen pregnancies. Teen birth rates increased 3 percent among girls ages 15 to 19 between 2005 and 2006, according to that report.

Unintended pregnancies occur more frequently among teens from lower income families and have long term repercussions for society, not least of which is limited future opportunities, particularly for young women. Dr. Amy Gilbert, medical director of Family Tree Clinic in St. Paul, Minn., says “Women in poverty are less apt to feel they have a choice in pregnancy and parenthood.” They also start prenatal care later in their pregnancy, are less likely to breastfeed, are less likely to finish high school and more likely to go on welfare, and are in general more abused and depressed, than other women. One in four welfare families begin with an unwanted pregnancy, said Gilbert, who spoke at a community health policy forum in St. Paul, Minn., April 2.

As if there wasn’t already enough bad news (their generation will inherit our historic national debt and dysfunctional health care system), teens are also getting hit hard by sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) like chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and HIV.

Young people aged 15 to 24 are responsible for almost half of all new STD infections reported, according to another CDC report. The CDC expects than one of every two people who are sexually active will develop an STD infection by the time they’re 25. Young people have five times the national rate of chlamydia infections, four times more gonorrhea infections, and three times more cases of syphilis than the general population, according to the CDC.

More HIV infections occurred among adolescents and young adults 13–29 years old (34 percent percent) of new HIV infections than any other age group, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

If you’re concerned about a sexually active teen who doesn’t want to talk with you about sex, you can point them to a youth oriented site called Itsyoursexlife.com, or “IYSL.” The site encourages getting tested for STDs (“GYT”), explores facts and fiction about preventing pregnancy and STDs, and is sponsored by MTV, the Kaiser Family Foundation and Planned Parenthood.