Pregnancy is among the issues that the research community has examined in great detail. That it determines the shape of the demography of the US is one of the main factors that have inspired researchers to explore this question. The insights that the researchers have obtained have shed light on such issues as the pregnancy rates in the country and the prevalence of pregnancy loss. Moreover, thanks to the research, an understanding of the shifts in US demographics can be gained.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has spearheaded research on pregnancy. According to the agency, the US has been witnessing a significant decline in the number of pregnancy. Data shows that in 2009, there were 102.1 pregnancies for every 1,000 women in the 15-44 age bracket (CDC, 2015). This figure represents a sharp fall over the last 30 years. The figure for 2009 is only lower than that for 1997 when the country recorded 101.6 pregnancies per 1000 women (CDC, 2015). The data that the CDC shared also sheds light on pregnancy rates among different age groups. Between 1990 and 2009, the pregnancy rate for women aged 30 and below declined significantly (CDC, 2015). On the other hand, over the same period, women who are at least 30 years old registered an increase in pregnancies.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
No discussion on pregnancy in the US would be complete without a look at the rate of unintended pregnancies. Partnering with Zolna, Finer (2011) undertook a study with the goal of establishing the number of unintended pregnancies. They observed that in 2006, 49% of pregnancies were unintended (Finer & Zolna, 2011). This rate varied among different age groups. In their article, Zolna and Finer identify poverty and cohabiting as among the causes of the unintended pregnancies. Gilda Sedgh et al. (2015) joined forces to conduct a study whose findings echo the observations that Finer and Zolna made. In their study, they gave particular focus to adolescents. They noted that compared to other countries that were analyzed, the US has the highest rate of teenage pregnancy. This rate stands at 57 pregnancies for every 1000 adolescent girls (Sedgh et al., 2015). Policy makers in the US should take note of this observation and institute measures to tackle teenage pregnancy.
Apart from pregnancy, researchers have also dedicated effort to unearth the issues that surround pregnancy loss in the US. Lauren Rossen, Katherine Ahrens and Amy Branum (2017) are among these researchers. After examining data, they noted that the women in the US face a 19.7% risk of losing their pregnancy (Rossen, Ahrens & Branum, 2017). These researchers also noted that the US has witnessed an increase in the risk of pregnancy loss. Various scholars have attempted to understand the factors that dictate a woman’s risk of pregnancy loss. Sudeshna Mukherjee et al. (2013) are such scholars. They established that race appears to play a role. African American women are exposed to a greater risk of losing their pregnancies. It is understood that pregnancy loss leaves the affected women and their families feeling traumatized (Rossen, Ahrens & Branum, 2017). No effort should be spared in delivering support to these women.
In conclusion, policy makers in the US need to gain a deep understanding of pregnancy rates and trends in the country. The understanding will allow them to formulate policies which promote sustainable population growth and secures the interests of pregnant women. It has been observed by various researchers that the US has been witnessing a decline in pregnancy rate. The country joins other developed nations which have seen similar declines. While the overall pregnancy rate has been dropping, the number of teenage pregnancies has been on the rise. There is need for the country to develop approaches to insulate its adolescents against behaviors that could lead to unwanted pregnancies.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (2015). Pregnancy rates for U.S. women
Continue to drop. Retrieved August 1, 2018 from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db136.htm
Finer, L. B., & Zolna, M. R. (2011). Unintended pregnancy in the United States: incidence and
Disparities, 2006. Contraception, 84 (5), 478-85.
Mukherjee, S., Edwards, D. R. V., Baird, D. D., Savitz, D. A., & Hartmann, K. E. (2013). Risk
Of miscarriage among black women and white women in a US prospective cohort
Study. American Journal of Epidemiology, 177 (11), 1271-8.
Sedgh, G., Finer, L., Bankole, A., Eilers, M. A., & Singh, S. (2015). Adolescent pregnancy, birth
And abortion rates across countries: levels and recent trends. Journal of Adolescent
Health, 56 (2), 223-230.
