US teenage birth rates fall again but still among highest in developed world

• US teen birth rate drops 8% to 22.3 births per 1,000 females
• ‘We are still way up there in terms of teen pregnancy and births’

Teenage birth rates continue to fall in the US, though the country’s rate remains much higher than those in other developed countries, according to new data released on Wednesday.

In 2015, the teen birth rate dropped 8% from the previous year’s, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Related: Less sex please, we're millennials – study

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Births led by midwives rather than doctors linked to greater risks – NZ study

Study of more than 200,000 births over five years in New Zealand, where midwives are the dominant care-givers, produced ‘unexpected’ results

The health outcomes for babies born in New Zealand where primary care is led by midwives are significantly worse when compared with care led by doctors, a major new study has found.

New Zealand and the Netherlands are the only two western countries to operate under a midwife-led birthing system. Midwives are the dominant care-giver for four out of five births in New Zealand – from pregnancy through to delivery and post-natal care.

Related: World's first baby born from new procedure using DNA of three people

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World's first baby born using three-parent IVF technique

Experts welcome news though concerns raised controversial procedure carried out in Mexico which is beyond regulations

The world’s first baby to be born from a new procedure that combines the DNA of three people appears to be healthy, according to doctors in the US who oversaw the treatment.

The baby was born on 6 April after his Jordanian parents travelled to Mexico where they were cared for by US fertility specialists.

Related: ‘Three-parent’ babies explained: what are the concerns and are they justified?

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I’m pregnant and want this second baby – but not the man

A woman with an unplanned pregnancy says she is not sure about her relationship with the father. Mariella Frostrup questions how ‘unexpected’ the conception was

The dilemma I’m a 38-year-old single mother to a wonderful six-year-old girl. I was on my own for three years before meeting someone who I’ve since been seeing for eight months. Now I’ve found out that I’m pregnant – it was unplanned. I’m terrified this relationship isn’t stable enough to last raising a child. To make things worse, I had been contemplating ending it because, as kind, smart and lovely as he is, I’m not sure I enjoy his company enough. I dearly want another child – and a sibling for my daughter. I know my chances of conceiving are diminishing and if I met someone else it would take time to get to know them. Should I take this chance of having a baby and run with it?

Mariella replies I can’t dissuade you. Nor would I want to. The depth of your desire for a second child isn’t for me to gauge and so my opinion is irrelevant. If you’re ready and willing to do it again, there’s little I can say to convince you otherwise.

Teenagers and virgins can feign surprise. In maturity, unplanned pregnancy has less of an authentic ring to it

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Experience: I didn’t know I was pregnant until I went into labour

I had aches and pains and felt tired all the time. Drinking made me sick. But the doctors couldn’t find anything wrong

I was 20 and working in a shop when, one Monday afternoon, I started getting stomach pains. I assumed it was to do with the medication I was on; about a year before, my periods had stopped and I had been in and out of hospital to find out the problem.

I’d had blood and urine tests and endless scans. I was told it could be endometriosis or cancer, or that I might never be able to have children. I’d had aches and pains, felt tired all the time and had stopped drinking because it made me sick. The doctors couldn’t find anything wrong with me.

Related: Experience: I had a 90-degree bend in my penis

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Women above 35 who give birth account for 40% of maternal deaths in Australia

The country has the second highest rate of births to older women among 14 developed countries and the highest rate of C-section births, study reveals

Of the Australian women who give birth, 23% are over 35 but these older mothers account for 40% of maternal deaths across the country, a study has revealed.

Australia has the second highest rate of births to older women among 14 developed countries – behind only Spain, where 35% are above that age – and the highest rate of caesarean section births, a study in the Lancet says.

Related: Maternal deaths worldwide drop by half, yet shocking disparities remain

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New Zealand's serious sperm shortage: 'It has become a continuous drought'

New legislation making donation less attractive and a rise in demand from women has resulted in a two-year wait for sperm

When New Zealander Kathryn Heape realised the fairy tale of marriage and kids was taking its sweet time she took out an insurance policy and applied for donated sperm.

“Since I was 10 years old, I just expected to have a baby when I grew up,” she says.

Like climate change, [the sperm drought] has become the new normal.

Related: What is it really like to live in New Zealand?

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