Pregnancy outcomes

Live births, induced abortions, and miscarriages/stillbirths are usually examined separately. This article combines the three outcomes to focus on pregnancy in Canada from 1974 to 1992. An estimated 525,100 pregnancies ended in Canada during 1992. While this was a substantial increase from 438,300 in 1974, the pregnancy rate in 1992-77 pregnancies per 1,000 women aged 15 to 44-was actually lower than in 1974, when it had been 85 per 1,000. As the pregnancy rate declined, there was a shift in outcomes. The share of pregnancies that ended in live births fell from 79% to 76%, and the proportion ending in miscarriages/stillbirths went from 9% to 5%. A growing proportion of pregnancies ended in abortions: 19% in 1992, compared with 12% in 1974. Trends in pregnancies varied with the age of the women. Pregnancy rates rose among those in their thirties, but dropped at all other ages. Consequently, older women accounted for a larger share of pregnancies at the end of the period than they had at the beginning. Pregnancy outcomes also differed depending on the women's age. The proportion that ended in an abortion was relatively high among women under age 25 and age 40 and over. Throughout the 1974-1992 period, the proportion of pregnancies ending in miscarriages or stillbirths fell among women of all ages.