Birth Defect News

Teen Birth Rate Hits All Time Record Low C-Sections at Record High Level

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health today reported that the teen birth rate in Massachusetts is at its lowest level ever and 47 percent below the national average. The report, “Massachusetts Births 2002,” also indicated that the cesarean section delivery rate increased by 10 percent between 2001 and 2002, and the rate was 8 percent higher than the national average. The report also found that the infant mortality rate in Massachusetts continues to decline with 2002, registering the second lowest number of annual infant deaths in Massachusetts history.

“Clearly there is a lot of positive news in this report,” said MDPH Commissioner Christy Ferguson. “We need to remain diligent to continue making progress in the reduction of teen pregnancies and in the infant mortality rate and to address disparities. Overall, this report indicates that Massachusetts has a lot to be proud of concerning the health of its mothers and their babies.”

Key findings of this year’s report include:

• The teen birth rate continues its steady decline of the last twelve years. The Massachusetts teen birth rate has decreased steadily from 35.4 births per 1,000 women, ages 15-19, in 1990 to 22.6 in 2002, the lowest rate in the last 3 decades and 47 percent below the US rate of 42.9.
• The infant mortality rate (IMR) in 2002 was 4.9 infant deaths per 1,000 live births, compared with 5.0 in 2001. Since 1990, the IMR has declined 30 percent overall, and IMRs have decreased for all races and ethnicities. Among the 30 largest communities, the communities with the highest infant mortality rates for 2000-2002 were Worcester (8.9), Fall River (8.0), Lawrence (8.0), Springfield (7.3) and Taunton (7.3).
• The percentage of low birthweight infants (LBW, weighing less than 5.5 pounds) increased to 7.5 percent in 2002 (from 7.2 percent in 2001). Since 1990, the percentage of low birthweight infants has increased by 29 percent, from 5.8 percent to 7.5 percent in 2002. The increase in low birthweight infants can be linked directly to the aging of the population giving birth and the increase in multiple births.
• The age of mothers in Massachusetts continues to increase. In 1980, 1 out of 4 Massachusetts mothers was 30 or over. In 2002, more than 1 in 2 (56 percent) mothers was 30 or over. The birth rate for women over the age of 40 has increased about 70 percent since 1990.
• The twelve-year trend of increasing numbers of multiple births continues. In 1990, 1 out of 38 births was a multiple (2.6 percent); whereas, in 2002, 1 out of every 20 births was a multiple (4.9 percent). There were 3,951 multiple births (3,708 twins; 243 triplets or more) born in Massachusetts in 2002, an increase of 11 percent in the rate from 2001 (4.4 percent). This increase affects LBW rates since 1 in 20 singletons is LBW, while 1 in 2 twins is LBW, and more than 9 out of 10 triplets or higher order births are LBW. It is estimated that 65 percent of the increase in LBW since 1990 is due to the increase in multiple births.
• Cesarean section delivery rates continue to increase; more than 1 in 4 births are c-sections (28 percent). This is a 10 percent rise from the 2001 c-section rate of 26 percent and an increase of 42 percent in the last 5 years (20 percent in 1997). This pattern is similar to the national pattern, although the MA rate is 8 percent higher.
• Smoking during pregnancy continued to decline in 2002; fewer than 1 out of 12 women reported smoking during their pregnancies (8 percent) compared with about 1 out 5 in 1990 (19 percent). The rate of smoking during pregnancy has decreased 59 percent since 1990.
• Despite a very small percent (less than 1 percent) decrease in overall births from 2001, some ethnicity groups have experienced large increases in the numbers of births. Five groups have increased more than 10 percent: Asian Indians, Brazilians, Chinese, Africans, and Vietnamese.

• The Black non-Hispanic IMR is about 3 times the white non-Hispanic IMR (11.8 per 1,000 births vs. 4.1)
• The teen birth rate for Hispanics is about 6 times that of white non-Hispanics (76.4 per 1,000 women age 15-19 vs. 13.4).
• Cambodian (54.7 percent), Haitian (67.3 percent), and Salvadoran (68.2 percent) mothers are less likely to receive prenatal care in their first trimester of pregnancy compared with mothers in many other ethnicity groups (State average: 84.2 percent).
• Mothers with less education are much more likely to smoke during their pregnancies, more likely to deliver LBW infants, and less likely to receive adequate prenatal care.
• Teen birth rates in Holyoke (82.0), Chelsea (81.7), Lawrence (79.7) and Springfield (70.1) are more than 3 times the state average (22.6/1,000).
• Women in Pittsfield (23.7 percent), Fall River (21.0 percent) and New Bedford (19.9 percent) are much more likely to smoke during their pregnancies compared with the state level (7.9 percent).

If you or anyone you know has experienced the results of a birth defect or any other kind of medical malpractice, please contact us. We are here to help you.

	Did You Know?
	Risk For Having A Baby With A Birth Defect May Increase As A Woman Gets Older Women who are 35 years of age or older have a greater chance of having a baby with Down syndrome. Of the known causes of mental retardation, Down syndrome is the most common. It affects about 1 in 800 births. Down syndrome happens when there is an extra chromosome 21 (“trisomy 21”). Scientists have not proven that other birth defects, genetic or otherwise, are linked to the mother’s age.