PREGNANCIES increased for the first time in six years in 2021, official figures show.
Britain saw a baby boom as it shook off the last of the Covid lockdowns.
There were 824,983 conceptions, bucking a trend of decline with the first rise since 2015.
For the first time more babies were conceived out of wedlock or civil partnerships than in them.
And pregnancies hit record highs for women in their early 30s and 40s, the Office for National Statistics said.
Three quarters of the pregnancies led to a birth, while a record one in four ended in abortion.
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Senior research officer Siân Bradford said: “This provides further understanding of conception rates during the coronavirus pandemic, when lockdowns and restrictions may have affected behaviour.
“We can see that the number of conceptions in England and Wales has increased for the first time since 2015.
“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.”
Covid lockdowns and social distancing lasted for most of 2020 and did not end until spring 2021.
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Millions of Brits said the crisis slammed the brakes on their sex lives.
A study this week found people made love twice a month, on average – down from three times per month in 2010.
Around one in four were unhappy with their sex life during the pandemic, the University of Glasgow found.
The ONS figures show 2021 pregnancies were still lower than any year from 2004 to 2018 – but higher than 2019, before Covid hit.
Numbers peaked in 2010 with 909,245 and have fallen in every year since, except 2015 and 2021.
The rate of babies per woman continued to fall to its lowest since 2001 but the population is larger now.
Between 30 and 34 is the most common age for new mums.
The ONS added pregnancies were “uncharacteristically low” in some groups in 2020 as Covid put the kibosh on flings and hook-ups.
Ms Bradford added: “Further work will be needed to establish whether this marks a change in trend.”
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