The rate of conception among women in Ceredigion and Powys fell in 2021, new figures show.

The Office for National Statistics said the data provides understanding of how lockdowns and pandemic restrictions affected behaviour.

Figures from the ONS shows there were 645 conceptions in Ceredigion in 2021. It was down from 683 the year before.

The rate dropped from 56.7 conceptions per 1,000 women in 2020 to 54.5 conceptions per 1,000 women in 2021.

In Powys, there were 1,325 conceptions in 2021 - up from 1,318. But the rate dropped from 71.6 conceptions per 1,000 women in 2020 to 70 conceptions per 1,000 women a year later.

Across England and Wales, there were nearly 825,000 pregnancies in 2021 - up from 818,000 the year before. It was the first increase in the number of conceptions in the last six years.

However, the rate of conceptions has been declining throughout the same period from 78.3 per 1,000 women in 2015 to 71.5 per 1,000 women in 2021.

Of the conceptions in 2021, 25.4 per cent in Ceredigion and 23.9 per cent in Powys led to an abortion – the highest levels in the past decade.

Overall, 26.5 per cent of conceptions in Wales and England led to an abortion.

A spokesperson for the British Pregnancy Advisory Service said the pandemic, and the government response to it, had a clear impact on women’s pregnancy choices.

They said: "Faced with economic challenges and job insecurity, women and their partners had to make sometimes tough decisions around continuing or ending a pregnancy.

"Unfortunately, financial struggles and a lack of government support, including the two-child limit on financial assistance, continue to force women to choose between ending an otherwise wanted pregnancy or plunging their families in to great hardship."

They added there is no "right number of abortions" and added there is more the government can do to ensure women make the right decision for themselves when faced with an unplanned pregnancy.

The figures also show there were 11 conceptions among under-18s in Ceredigion – a rate of 11.4 conceptions per 1,000 for the age group.

And there were 24 conceptions among under-18s in Powys – 11.6 conceptions per 1,000 for the age group. Siân Bradford, ONS child health senior research officer, said the data reveals a higher conception rate among women who were not married or in a civil partnership for the first time since records began.

"Despite a higher percentage of abortions, women who were not married or in a civil partnership, still have a higher number of conceptions leading to maternity. Further work will be needed to establish whether this marks a change in trend,” she added.

The conception rate for women outside of marriage or civil partnership across the two nations rose from 73.4 conceptions per 1,000 women in 2011 to 75.1 conceptions per 1,000 women between in 2021.

Meanwhile, the conception rate for women within marriage or civil partnership decreased from 91.6 conceptions per 1,000 women to 72.2 conceptions per 1,000 women.