Rate of undergraduates pregnancies is worryingly high

One in 10 female graduates become pregnant before they graduate, according to new research commissioned by the National Union of Students (NUS) which surveyed 970 female higher and further education students in England and Wales. Students who were married or in steady relationships and mature student were, unsurprisingly, three times more likely to have been pregnant than comparative subgroups - 36% and 35% respectively, compared with 7-8% - and 81% of the survey group said that their pregnancies were unplanned.

One in five of the survey participants said they occasionally or often had sex without using any form of contraception. Only half of those who had ever used a condom were still doing so, and three quarters of these never or rarely carried condoms themselves.

Half the participants in the survey had tried the contraceptive pill and most of these were still using it. Many of the women not using hormonal contraception expressed concern over the safety of the pill after recent scare stories and believed that it was appropriate for use only in a long term relationship and not for casual sex.

Andrew Pakes, NUS president, commented on the findings of the research: "We strongly recommend that students protect themselves against both pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Our survey found that many students were doing neither. In the light of these shocking findings, NUS will be seeking to redress the balance and get accurate information directly to students."

How the NUS intends to do this is unclear, although it is currently working with the British Pregnancy Advisory Service and the Family Planning Association (FPA) to develop campaigns. Toni Belfield, director of information at the FPA, stresses that the issue is not to dictate to students about their sexual activity. "The point is not whether, where, or with whom young women should be having sex. The point is enabling women to make informed decisions about their sexual health and fertility."

Siân Knight, student BMJ


studentBMJ 1999;07:394-436 November ISSN 0966-6494