Older women are experiencing more unplanned pregnancies than ever before because of a mistaken belief that their fertility has waned, according to experts.
The UK Family Planning Association (FPA) has launched a campaign to warn women over 35 years of age to continue to use contraception, after reviewing figures that show that abortion rates are as high in the 40 to 44 age group as they are for the under-16s, the BBC reported.
While it is generally accepted that fertility does decrease with age, the research suggests that many abortions by older women are because they either assumed they could not get pregnant or feared that their babies would suffer abnormalities.
The campaign, "Conceivable?", advises women to continue to use contraception until after the menopause to avoid pregnancy, as they can remain fertile well into their fifties.
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"Whilst the message about fertility declining with age is an important one, it is often overplayed, alongside disproportionate messaging about unplanned teenage pregnancies," chief executive of the FPA, Julie Bentley, said.
"It sends an inaccurate message to women and society that only the young fall pregnant and is leading older women to believe their fertility has gone long before it actually has."
Bentley explained that women aged 30 to 34 have the highest fertility rate (113.1 live births per 1000 women in the UK) but that the rate for women over 40 had doubled since 1988, going from 5.1 to 12.6 per 1000 women.
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