Pregnancies among teenagers in the district has fallen to all time low

The rate of teenage pregnancies in the district has fallen to its lowest since records began in 1969.

The number of 15-17-year-olds falling pregnant has more than halved in the last 18 years thanks to sex education and increased availability of contraception for young people, latest figures show.

In 1998 the pregnancy rate in that age group was 53 in every 1,000 women. The rate reduced to 46 in 2010 and then 23 in 2014.

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Spectrum Community Health, which runs sexual health services in the district, said the Wakefield district was now broadly in line with the national average.

Belinda Loftus, head of Service for Wakefield sexual health, said: “These figures show the fantastic progress that has been made within Spectrum’s sexual health services to reach out to young people and help them to make positive, responsible decisions about their sexual health.

“Spectrum provides drop-in clinics for young people across the District, offering non-judgmental and confidential advice and management of their contraception and sexual health needs.”

The teenage conception rate in the Wakefield district was 2.34 per cent in 2014, compared to 3.63 per cent in Barnsley, 2.94 per cent in Leeds and 3.46 per cent in Doncaster.

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Spectrum’s Relationships and Sex Education team (RSE) delivers tailored lessons for high school students, helping them learn about healthy relationships, safe sex and the risks involved.

The organisation’s clinics in Wakefield and Barnsley give out free condoms to 16-25-year-olds .

Spectrum Community Health runs drop-in sessions for young people on Mondays from 2.30pm-5pm at Castleford Health Centre, on Welbeck Street, and the same time at Pontefract Health Centre, on Trinity Street.

On Thursdays, a youth advice drop-in is held at Church View Medical Centre, at Langthwaite Business Park, South Kirkby.

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Clinics for college students only are held at Hemsworth Arts and Community Academy on Mondays from 12.15pm-2pm and at New College, Pontefract, on Wednesdays from 11.45-2pm.

Spectrum’s central sexual health clinic is based at Wakefield’s Trinity Walk shopping centre. For appointments call 01924 846628.

For more information about the services available, call Spectrum in confidence on 01924 311400 or log on to www.spectrumhealth.org.uk

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