Rise in Abortions as Age Factor Makes Women Avoid Contraceptives

Cases of women in their late 30s and 40s going for abortions have gone up as they prefer not to use contraceptives under the notion that they have well crossed the fertility period, say experts. According to the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, these women live with the misconception that due to their age IVF is the only way to get pregnant.

The organisation says that the chances of conception in late 30s and 40s are also high, but the incidences of abortions have gone up because of fertility experts who keep saying that women are ‘leaving it too late’.

Since 2001, the abortion rate has gone up by 15.5 per cent for women aged 30 to 34 and by 6 per cent in the over-35s.

Ann Furedi, bias Chief Executive, said, “We see more women over 35 with unplanned pregnancy than we do women under 18. We know from speaking to women that stories and campaigns suggesting it’s hard to get pregnant after 35 are having a real impact on women’s perception of their own fertility. Women deserve accurate, impartial information to make their own choices about family planning in their 30s. For women who don’t want to fall pregnant the message is simple: use contraception until you have passed your menopause.”

According to experts, fertility does go down in older women but they are still fertile over the age of 35 and they need to use contraception. The conception rate for women aged 40 and over has more than doubled since 1990.

Josephine Quintavalle of the campaign group Comment on Reproductive Ethics (CORE) said, “Women have lost touch with the nature of human reproduction. Women need more information about their own biology.”

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Source-Medindia