Complacency about contraception and fertility in middle age is resulting in similar rates of unplanned pregnancies among over-40s as in the under-16s, fertility campaigners warn.

Data for England and Wales from the Office for National Statistics shows abortion rates in the 40-44 age group are four per 1,000 women — the same as for girls under 16.

The Family Planning Association said warnings about declining infertility and age may have gone “too far” and could be encouraging older women to abandon contraception.

Fertility among those over 40 has more than doubled since 1988, from 5.1 to 12.6 per 1,000 women. There were 26,000 live births in this age group in 2008.

Announcing its campaign, Conceivable?, the FPA warned that women should continue using contraception until after the menopause if they wished to avoid pregnancy.

Julie Bentley, chief executive of the charity, said that age alone was not a contraceptive. “Whilst the message about fertility declining with age is an important one, it is often overplayed, alongside disproportionate messaging about unplanned teenage pregnancies,” she said.

“It sends an inaccurate message to women and society that only the young fall pregnant and is leading older women to believe their fertility has gone long before it actually has.”

Ms Bentley said that it was important that women realised it was entirely conceivable that just one night of unprotected sex in your late 30s, 40s, even 50s can end in an unplanned pregnancy. She said that there were 15 methods of contraception, all of which were suitable for the over-35s.

“Our helpline receives calls from such women, shocked this has happened to them. They thought their age would protect them from becoming pregnant,” she said.

“We know on average women spend about five minutes on choosing their contraception and many don’t make enough time for themselves to think about what they want. They can talk to FPA or their health professional about finding the perfect contraceptive for them.”

The live birth rate is 58.4 per 1,000 women aged 35 to 39.

Marie Stopes International, the sexual health charity, backed the FPA campaign and said it was vital that women of all ages were provided with medically accurate information and advice. It said that tests for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) were also advisable.

“Unplanned pregnancies do not just happen to teenagers. They are a risk for any woman of reproductive age,” it said. “We see women of all ages, including those over the age of 35, seeking advice and treatment for unplanned pregnancy.”

The warning comes after data from the Health Protection Agency suggesting that STIs are rising in the over-45s.

Researchers in the West Midlands reported a doubling of infections among older people in the past decade and call for information campaigns that are not aimed simply at the young.

The team counted the number of STIs diagnosed in 19 clinics in the West Midlands between 1996 and 2003. The number rose steadily from 344 in 1996 to 780 in 2003, not including diagnoses of HIV/Aids. Genital warts was the most common diagnosis but the sharpest increases were seen for gonorrhea and syphilis.

The assumption has long been that the sexually active middle-aged are in low-risk monogamous relationships but one study has shown that 80 per cent of the over-50s are sexually active and 7 per cent engage in risky sex. The greatest risk-takers were married men aged between 50 and 60.

A survey in 2008 carried out by Saga found that one in ten sexually active over-50s did not use contraception and did not know a partner’s sexual history.

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