A British medical journal published a study which revealed that nearly 1% of women in the United States claim to have become pregnant as virgins. The study titled, “Like a Virgin (mother),” included interviews with 7,870 women and did not count instances of in vitro or other assisted reproductive technology.
Authors of the study claim that fallible memory, beliefs and wishes can cause people to err in what they tell scientists. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill analyzed data from thousands of girls and women in order to create the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health.
The study included girls age 12-18 years old and were interviewed about their health and behavior over 14 years. They were also reportedly interviewed by computers in order to encourage them to be candid about their answers.
The Chicago Tribune reported that of those who said they became pregnant as virgins, 31 percent also said they had signed chastity pledges. 15% of non-virgins who became pregnant said they had signed such pledges.
The 45 self-described virgins who reported having become pregnant, and 36 from those who actually gave birth were also more likely than nonvirgins to say their parents never or rarely talked to them about sex or birth control. The “chaste” mothers were also more likely not to know how to use condoms.
The British Medical Journal often publishes nontraditional studies such as whether there is a baby boom 9 months after a sports team triumphs, or whether an apple a day would keep the British doctor away (yes it would).
Researchers in the study found that “virgin” mothers were more likely to have boys than girls and to be pregnant during the weeks leading up to Christmas.
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