Abortion among married women in their 30s 'on the rise' Almost one in 10 pregnant married women in their late 30s had an abortion in 2011, rising from just over nine per cent two years earlier. Among married women in their early 30s, 6.1 per cent of all pregnancies ended in abortions - an increase of 5.4 per cent in the total number within a single year. The UK's biggest abortion provider, BPAS, said the increase could be a result of the recession with financial worries leading to more unwanted pregnancies. It added that a dramatic fall in the number of men having vasectomies over the last decade could also be a factor. A Daily Telegraph investigation last year uncovered evidence of abortions on grounds of gender being offered in Britain. Meanwhile the ONS figures showed that the pregnancy rate among girls under 18 has fallen to the lowest level since 1969 when comparable records began. The total number of pregnancies involving under 18s was down by 10 per cent in a year to just over 31,000 in England and Wales, reflecting greater use of contraception. Yet the number of abortions among under 16s also fell by 13 per cent in a year. A spokeswoman for BPAS said:"Women take motherhood extremely seriously and are increasingly waiting until they feel emotionally and financially secure enough to have a child. Contraception is never 100 per cent effective and at BPAS we frequently see women in long-term relationships trying to avoid pregnancy in their more fertile twenties and early thirties, which can result in unplanned pregnancy.