DOCTOR’S NOTE

Conceptions for women over 30 hit record highs

The number of women getting pregnant in England and Wales has fallen for the fifth year in a row, figures show.

Women are increasingly likely to conceive at an older age, while pregnancies among under-18s have plummeted by 17% in a year, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Experts suggested the coronavirus restrictions played a role, with younger women less likely to have been co-habiting. Overall, there were 817,515 conceptions in 2020 to women aged 15 to 44, down very slightly from 821,089 conceptions in 2019.

Conceptions among younger women continued to fall, but rose among women aged over 30, hitting a record high for those between 30 and 34.