Fertility and family planning in the United States: insights from the National Survey of Family Growth
Mosher, W.D.
Family Planning Perspectives 20(5): 207-217
1988
ISSN/ISBN: 0014-7354 PMID: 3068068 DOI: 10.2307/2135622Document Number: 519180
The author has reviewed about 50 studies based on the 1982 National Survey of Family Growth to illustrate the ways in which the survey sheds new light on trends in fertility and infertility, and in the use of contraceptives and family planning services in the US. Some highlights of the data follow. 1) The total fertility rate dropped from 3.6 to 1.9 births per woman between 1960 and 1973, nearly a 50% decline; the figure has changed little from 1973 to 1982. 2) The growing use of the IUD sterilization, and particularly birth control pills is largely responsible for the dramatic decline in unwanted and mistimed births among married couples. Married couples' increasing reliance on sterilization between 1973 and 1982 reduced unwanted births at aged 35 or older by half; this has little real impact on overall birthrates because only about 5% of all births occurred to women 35+ in 1981. 3) Although overall fertility has declined since the early 1960s, the premarital pregnancy rate has risen. Research suggests that this a result of the rapid increase in the % of women who have premarital intercourse due to earlier intercourse and of the increasing length of exposure to premarital pregnancy due to delayed marriage. Rising abortion rates in the 1970s are partially responsible for a decline in teenage birthrates during the 1970s. 4) Black women still have higher fertility than whites. The 1982 data suggest that black women's higher birthrates are principally due to blacks having intercourse earlier than whites; black women being 1/3 less likely to use contraceptives at 1st intercourse; black women being more likely not to use birth control, resulting in increased exposure to the risk of unplanned pregnancy; and black women having higher pregnancy rates when they are using no contraceptives or less-effective methods, such as the condom, rhythm, and withdrawal.