 | This article needs to be updated.(March 2020) |
Adolescent sexuality has been a topic observed and studied within the United Kingdom throughout the 20th century and in the 21st century. Associated organisations have been established to study and monitor trends and statistics as well as provide support and guidance to adolescents.
The Family Planning Association, was set up in the 1930s. In 1952 it began to offer contraceptive advice to single women who were just about to wed. [1]
A study in Manchester revealed that between the years 1937 and 1954, almost a quarter of underage girls coming to the attention of one female police officer regarding underage sex were pregnant. It was also noted that the girls often came from backgrounds of broken homes or bad parental influence. It was found that they also tended to have a lower than average IQ. [2]
The combined oral contraceptive pill became available in 1961, though initially only to married women. The proportion of teenage women who were married rose from 5% in 1951 to 8% in 1961. In the same year, a study of Scottish women found that almost a quarter of single women were sexually experienced before their 20th birthday, the proportion having risen from 6% during the late 1940s and 15% during the late 1950s. The findings of the study concluded that there was a clear increase in sexual intercourse among young single women after the advent of the contraceptive pill in 1961. [3]
The first comprehensive survey of sexual behaviour in the United Kingdom amongst unmarried teenagers was conducted in 1964. It revealed that a third of boys and almost one in six girls were sexually experienced by the age of 18, as well as one in twenty girls under 16 being sexually active. [4] It also estimated that around one in three teenage girls who engaged in premarital sexual intercourse fell pregnant. [5] Also revealed in the survey was that one in five of sexually experienced girls and two-fifths of sexually experienced boys always used birth control, the most common form of birth control being the condom (selected by around 80% of those using birth control). [4] [6]
| Year | Boys | Girls |
|---|---|---|
| 1964 | 14% | 5% |
| 1974 | 31% | 12% |
| 1991 | 28% | 19% |
| 2001 | 30% | 26% |
| 2008 | 34% | 38% |
| 2012 | 30.9% | 29.2% |
In 1964, Helen Brook set up the Brook Advisory Centres, offering contraceptive advice to young single people under the age of 25. In 1967, a change in the law allowed local health authorities to offer contraceptive services to unmarried people if they so wished, though by 1968 only one in six authorities were providing such a service. [9] Mr K. Robinson, answering a question in the House of Commons regarding the new Family Planning Act in October 1967, stated that it would be unwise to exclude girls under 16 from receiving advice at family planning clinics (FPC), though these girls would only be seen at FPCs in exceptional circumstances even with parental consent. [10]
By 1969, Brook Advisory Centres were offering contraceptive advice to over ten thousand unmarried people under 25, the majority aged between 19 and 21, with around one in six being under 19. [11] In 1970, The Family Planning Association were mandated to offer contraception to unmarried people. In 1971, a survey of Scottish single female students revealed that a third had had sexual intercourse by the age of 18, with over half not using any form of contraception. The survey also showed that one in seven girls who had recently been sexually active had had a partner who was a casual boyfriend. [12]
In 1971, a doctor was reported for informing the parents of a 16-year-old girl that she had come to him seeking contraception. This prompted the British Medical Association to advise doctors to maintain young patients' confidentiality when seeking contraception. Three-quarters of teenagers visiting Brook Advisory Centres during the early 1970s were doing so without their parents' knowledge. [11]
Controversy was also sparked when a 12-year-old girl who had recently undergone an abortion was put on the contraceptive pill with her parents' consent by gynecologist Dr Mary Wilson at Calthorpe nursing home in Birmingham. She said "so many girls come back pregnant again after three or four months, that is why I gave her a supply of the pill and contraceptive advice". Labour MP Leo Abse was concerned that the prescribing of the pill to a 12-year-old child was an offence under the sexual offences act. [13]
In 1975, under the new National Health Service reorganisation act, contraception was made available free of charge to everyone, including single people and those aged under 16. Clarification was given to doctors that they could provide contraception to patients under 16 without parental consent in certain circumstances. The average age of first sexual intercourse for girls had now dropped from 21 in the mid-1950s to 18. Over a quarter of boys under 16 and almost one in eight girls under 16 were sexually experienced. [14]
A report by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service in 1976 found that 69 percent of girls under 16 who came to them for an abortion during the year had used no contraception. Most of them were experienced at sex. [15] By 1978 Brook Advisory Centres were government funded and 3% of Brook's clients were under the age of 16.
In 1980, the 1974 DHSS circular about parental consent and the issuing of contraception/abortion advice to girls under 16 was reviewed. The conclusion was that a doctor or a professional worker should always seek to persuade the child to involve her parents or guardian at the earliest stage of consultation; but it was accepted that occasionally contraception would be given without parental consent. [16]
The number of girls under 16 visiting family planning clinics in England reached over seventeen thousand in 1983, but cuts in health service expenditure forced the closure of many family planning clinics and a restriction in the services available to young people that year. [17]
In 1984, a high court ruling in favour of Victoria Gillick, it was deemed illegal for health professionals to advise or give girls under 16 contraceptives without parental consent except in exceptional circumstances; [18] the number of girls under 16 visiting family planning clinics each year dropped to twelve thousand in response. When the House of Lords overturned the high court ruling in 1985 and confidential contraceptive advice to young people was restored, [19] the number rose again to sixteen thousand per year. [20]
In the first sex survey of its kind, the National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles (NATSAL) in 1991 revealed that one in six girls under 16 and a quarter of boys under 16 were sexually experienced. [21] A fifth of sexually active 16- and 17-year-olds and over half of 18- and 19-year-olds were using at least one method of contraception. [22] The second NATSAL in 2001 showed that the average age of first intercourse had dropped from 17 in the 1980s to 16. It also revealed that a quarter of girls and nearly a third of boys were sexually experienced before the age of 16. [23]
A survey conducted in 2005 found that the number of girls under 16 visiting family planning clinics had risen throughout the 1990s to peak at over ninety-one thousand in 2003, before falling to eighty-three thousand. The most popular choice was the condom with over half choosing this method of contraceptive. [24]
The proportion of patients visiting sexual health clinics for treatment of venereal disease, particularly the sexually transmitted infection gonorrhoea, has shown a general increase over the years.
For women, the figures from a study in Manchester showed teenagers accounted for 10% of patients in 1939, up to 23% in 1954. [25] Later studies show figures of 23% in 1957, [26] 27% in 1963, [6] and 33% in 1981. [27] The rate of new cases of gonorrhoea diagnosed at sexual health clinics amongst girls under 16 in England increased more than threefold from 2.76 per hundred thousand of the population in 1966 to 9.38 in 1976. [28] [29]
In men, the proportion of patients at sexual health clinics who were under the age of 20 rose from 3.8% in 1939 to 4.8% in 1954. [25] Amongst boys under 16 the rate of gonorrhoea diagnoses rose from 0.94 per hundred thousand of the population in 1966 to 2.19 in 1976. [28] [29]
In 1971 the number of teenagers visiting sexual health clinics with gonorrhoea reached over ten thousand, 60% were girls and one in twenty were under 16. [30] The number of persons under 16 being diagnosed with gonorrhoea in England fell from 637 in 1976 to 361 in 1981, [27] but the levels rose again and in 1996 there were over ten thousand new cases of gonorrhoea to teenagers reported in sexual health clinics, up over 30% from 1995. [31] In a study in 2005 this number had fallen to 3,700.
Levels of chlamydia in teenagers rose throughout the 1980s and 1990s; in 1996 the levels increased by over 16% from the previous year, [31] and by 2005 it was the most common sexually transmitted infection amongst teenagers with over thirty thousand new cases reported, almost 28% of all new cases. [32] In 2006 a screening programme of young people by the Department of Health revealed that 12% of girls aged 16–19 and 13% of men aged 20–24 were infected with chlamydia. [33]
Emergency contraception (EC) is a birth control measure, used after sexual intercourse to prevent pregnancy.
The combined oral contraceptive pill (COCP), often referred to as the birth control pill or colloquially as "the pill", is a type of birth control that is designed to be taken orally by women. The pill contains two important hormones: a progestin and estrogen. When taken correctly, it alters the menstrual cycle to eliminate ovulation and prevent pregnancy.
Teenage pregnancy, also known as adolescent pregnancy, is thepregnancy of a female adolescent under the age of 20. This includes those who are legally considered adults in their country. The WHO defines adolescence as the period between the ages of 10 and 19 years. Pregnancy can occur with sexual intercourse after the start of ovulation, which can happen before the first menstrual period (menarche). In healthy, well-nourished girls, the first period usually takes place between the ages of 13 to 16.
Family planning is the consideration of the number of children a person wishes to have, including the choice to have no children, and the age at which they wish to have them. Things that may play a role on family planning decisions include marital situation, career or work considerations, financial situations. If sexually active, family planning may involve the use of contraception and other techniques to control the timing of reproduction.
Gillick competence is a term originating in England and Wales and is used in medical law to decide whether a child is able to consent to their own medical treatment, without the need for parental permission or knowledge.
Sexual health clinics specialize in the prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted infections.
Human reproduction is sexual reproduction that results in human fertilization to produce a human offspring. It typically involves sexual intercourse between a sexually mature human male and female. During sexual intercourse, the interaction between the male and female reproductive systems results in fertilization of the ovum by the sperm to form a zygote. These specialized reproductive cells are called gametes, which are created in a process called gametogenesis. While normal cells contain 46 chromosomes, gamete cells only contain 23 single chromosomes, and it is when these two cells merge into one zygote cell that genetic recombination occurs and the new zygote contains 23 chromosomes from each parent, giving it 46 chromosomes. The zygote then undergoes a defined development process that is known as human embryogenesis, and this starts the typical 9-month gestation period that is followed by childbirth. The fertilization of the ovum may be achieved by artificial insemination methods, which do not involve sexual intercourse. Assisted reproductive technology also exists.
There are many methods of birth control that vary in requirements, side effects, and effectiveness. As the technology, education, and awareness about contraception has evolved, new contraception methods have been theorized and put in application. Although no method of birth control is ideal for every user, some methods remain more effective, affordable or intrusive than others. Outlined here are the different types of barrier methods, hormonal methods, various methods including spermicides, emergency contraceptives, and surgical methods and a comparison between them.
Adolescent sexuality is a stage of human development in which adolescents experience and explore sexual feelings. Interest in sexuality intensifies during the onset of puberty, and sexuality is often a vital aspect of teenagers' lives. Sexual interest may be expressed in a number of ways, such as flirting, kissing, masturbation, or having sex with a partner. Sexual interest among adolescents, as among adults, can vary greatly, and is influenced by cultural norms and mores, sex education, as well as comprehensive sexuality education provided, sexual orientation, and social controls such as age-of-consent laws.
The sexuality of US adolescents includes their feelings, behaviors and development, and the place adolescent sexuality has in American society, including the response of the government, educators, parents, and other interested groups.
Contraceptive security is an individual's ability to reliably choose, obtain, and use quality contraceptives for family planning and the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases. The term refers primarily to efforts undertaken in low and middle-income countries to ensure contraceptive availability as an integral part of family planning programs. Even though there is a consistent increase in the use of contraceptives in low, middle, and high-income countries, the actual contraceptive use varies in different regions of the world. The World Health Organization recognizes the importance of contraception and describes all choices regarding family planning as human rights. Subsidized products, particularly condoms and oral contraceptives, may be provided to increase accessibility for low-income people. Measures taken to provide contraceptive security may include strengthening contraceptive supply chains, forming contraceptive security committees, product quality assurance, promoting supportive policy environments, and examining financing options.
Birth control, also known as contraception, anticonception, and fertility control, is the use of methods or devices to prevent unintended pregnancy. Birth control has been used since ancient times, but effective and safe methods of birth control only became available in the 20th century. Planning, making available, and using human birth control is called family planning. Some cultures limit or discourage access to birth control because they consider it to be morally, religiously, or politically undesirable.
The birth control movement in the United States was a social reform campaign beginning in 1914 that aimed to increase the availability of contraception in the U.S. through education and legalization. The movement began in 1914 when a group of political radicals in New York City, led by Emma Goldman, Mary Dennett, and Margaret Sanger, became concerned about the hardships that childbirth and self-induced abortions brought to low-income women. Since contraception was considered to be obscene at the time, the activists targeted the Comstock laws, which prohibited distribution of any "obscene, lewd, and/or lascivious" materials through the mail. Hoping to provoke a favorable legal decision, Sanger deliberately broke the law by distributing The Woman Rebel, a newsletter containing a discussion of contraception. In 1916, Sanger opened the first birth control clinic in the United States, but the clinic was immediately shut down by police, and Sanger was sentenced to 30 days in jail.
Birth control in the United States is available in many forms. Some of the forms available at drugstores and some retail stores are male condoms, female condoms, sponges, spermicides, and over-the-counter emergency contraception. Forms available at pharmacies with a doctor's prescription or at doctor's offices are oral contraceptive pills, patches, vaginal rings, diaphragms, shots/injections, cervical caps, implantable rods, and intrauterine devices (IUDs). Sterilization procedures, including tubal ligations and vasectomies, are also performed.
The history of birth control, also known as contraception and fertility control, refers to the methods or devices that have been historically used to prevent pregnancy. Planning and provision of birth control is called family planning. In some times and cultures, abortion had none of the stigma which it has today, making birth control less important.
Adolescent sexuality in Canada is not as well documented as adolescent sexuality in the United States; despite the proximity of the two nations, Canada has its own unique culture and generalizations about Canadian adolescent sexuality based on American research can be misleading. Because of this, several surveys and studies have been conducted which acquired information on Canadian adolescent sexuality. Surveys which provide this information include the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS), the National Population Health Survey (NPHS) and the National Longitudinal Survey of Children and Youth (NLSCY). According to information drawn from the Canadian Community Health Survey and the National Population Health Survey, in 2005 43% of teens aged 15 to 19 reported that they had had sexual intercourse at least once.
Reproductive coercion is a collection of behaviors that interfere with decision-making related to reproductive health. These behaviors are meant to maintain power and control related to reproductive health by a current, former, or hopeful intimate or romantic partner, but they can also be perpetrated by parents or in-laws. Coercive behaviors infringe on individuals' reproductive rights and reduce their reproductive autonomy.
Access to safe and adequate sexual and reproductive healthcare constitutes part of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as upheld by the United Nations.
Contraceptive rights in New Zealand are extensive. There are many options available to women seeking contraception. There are also options for men. Government funding keeps the cost of most types of contraception low in most cases. Family planning options in New Zealand are generally in keeping with the United Nations stance towards sexual and reproductive rights although the country has received criticism in some aspects.
Margaret Ellen Mary O'Flynn, known professionally as Margaret Foley, was a British gynaecologist and pioneer of contraception services for women.