Key Statistics from the National Survey of Family Growth – S Listing
- Sexual orientation and attraction
- Smoking during pregnancy – See Cigarette smoking during pregnancy
- STD/HIV risk
- STD/HIV testing – See Family planning HIV testing
- STD treatment
- Sterilization (female)
- Sterilization (male) – See Contraception
Sexual activity between opposite-sex partners
Vaginal (sexual) intercourse
| 2015-2017 | 2017-2019 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women 15-49 | Men 15-49 | Women 15-49 | Men 15-49 | |
| Years (SE) | ||||
| Mean age at first vaginal intercourse | 17.6 years (0.12) | 17.2 years (0.13) | 17.1 years (0.09) | 17.2 years (0.10) |
Source: Special tabulation by NCHS based on interviewer-administered questions.
Oral sex between women and men
Percentage of women and men who have ever had oral sex with an opposite-sex partner:
| 2015-2017 | 2017-2019 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women | Men | Women | Men | |
| Percent (SE) | ||||
| All aged 15-49 | 81.5 (1.12) | 82.1 (0.78) | 82.2 (0.90) | 82.7 (0.87) |
| Teens 15-19 | 46.9 (3.33) | 43.1 (2.54) | 42.4 (2.30) | 44.1 (2.22) |
Source: Special tabulation by NCHS based on ACASI questions.
Anal sex between women and men
| 2015-2017 | 2017-2019 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women | Men | Women | Men | |
| Percent (SE) | ||||
| Percentage of men and women 15-49 years of age who have ever had anal sex with an opposite-sex partner | 32.6 (1.21) | 38.5 (1.34) | 35.1 (1.21) | 38.1 (1.38) |
Source: Special tabulation by NCHS based on ACASI questions.
Sexual activity between same-sex partners
Sexual activity between women
Percentage of women 18-49 who had any sexual activity with another woman:
| 2015-2017 | 2017-2019 | |
|---|---|---|
| Percent (SE) | ||
| Ever, in lifetime | 17.9 (0.90) | 20.8 (0.94) |
| Within the last 12 months | 5.8 (0.63) | 5.9 (0.48) |
Source: Special tabulation by NCHS based on ACASI questions.
Sexual activity between men
Percentage of men 18–49 who had any sexual activity with another man:
| 2015-2017 | 2017-2019 | |
|---|---|---|
| Percent (SE) | ||
| Ever, in lifetime | 7.0 (0.75) | 7.3 (0.50) |
| Within the last 12 months | 3.7 (0.58) | 3.2 (0.37) |
Source: Special tabulation by NCHS based on ACASI questions.
Sexual orientation and attraction
Percent distribution by sexual orientation for women 18–49 years of age:
| 2015-2019 | ||
|---|---|---|
| NSFG version | NHIS version | |
| Percent (SE) | ||
| Heterosexual or straight | 89.6 (0.62) | 86.9 (0.77) |
| Homosexual or gay (or lesbian) | 2.7 (0.40) | 2.0 (0.27) |
| Bisexual | 7.7 (0.54) | 7.5 (0.57) |
| Something else | Option not offered | 3.6 (0.43) |
Note: The 2015-2017 and 2017-2019 NSFG ACASI included two versions of the question on sexual orientation, randomly assigned each to half of the sample. One is the NSFG version as used since 2008, and the other is the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) version as used since 2013. Please see the codebook for the exact question wording and response categories for these two versions.
Source: Special tabulation by NCHS
Percent distribution by sexual attraction for women and men 18–49 years of age:
| 2015-2019 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Women | Men | |
| Percent (SE) | ||
| Only opposite sex | 76.8 (0.88) | 90.6 (0.56) |
| Mostly opposite sex | 14.2 (0.65) | 4.7 (0.40) |
| Equally to both | 4.8 (0.32) | 1.1 (0.16) |
| Mostly same sex | 1.4 (0.17) | 0.8 (0.18) |
| Only same sex | 1.5 (0.18) | 1.9 (0.19) |
| Not sure | 1.3 (0.16) | 0.9 (0.14) |
Source: Special tabulation by NCHS based on ACASI question.
STD/HIV risk-related behaviors
Percentage of women and men 15-49 years of age who engaged in the specified STD/HIV risk-related behavior in the last 12 months:
| 2015-2019 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Women | Men | |
| Percent (SE) | ||
| Five or more opposite-sex partners | 2.0 (0.19) | 2.9 (0.25) |
| Sex in exchange for money or drugs | 0.6 (0.10) | 1.6 (0.22) |
| Sex with an HIV-positive partner | 0.1 (0.03) | 0.2 (0.05) |
| Drug use: Illicit drug injection, crack cocaine use, or crystal meth use | 0.8 (0.11) | 1.7 (0.20) |
| Sexual activity between men (asked of men only) | NA | 3.2 (0.30) |
| Male partners who have sex with other men (asked of women only) | 1.8 (0.19) | NA |
Note: Each of these behaviors may increase an individual’s risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, but is not intended to represent actual risk, which is impacted by other factors not accounted for in the survey. Respondents could report more than one of these behaviors. “NA” indicates item is not applicable.
Source: Special tabulation by NCHS based on ACASI questions.
STD treatment
| 2015-2019 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Women | Men | |
| Percentage (SE) of women and men aged 15-49 who were treated for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in the past year | 3.9 (0.27) | 2.3 (0.19) |
Source: Special tabulation by NCHS based on ACASI questions.
Sterilization (female)
Percentage ever having a female sterilization operation, by type of operation
| 2015-2019 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Aged 15-49 | Aged 40-49 | |
| Percent (SE) | ||
| Tubal sterilization | 15.4 (0.71) | 31.4 (1.59) |
| Hysterectomy | 5.5 (0.40) | 14.7 (1.12) |
| Other sterilizing operations | 3.1 (0.30) | 8.7 (0.86) |
Source: Special tabulation by NCHS
Main reason for operation
Among women 15-49 years of age who had a tubal sterilization within the past 5 years, percent distribution by main reason for the tubal sterilization:
| 2015-2019 | |
|---|---|
| Percent (SE) | |
| She had all the children she wanted | 64.0 (3.42) |
| Her husband or partner had all the children he wanted | 4.0 (0.95) |
| Medical reasons for the tubal sterilization | 24.1 (2.94) |
| Problems with other methods of birth control | 2.2 (0.70) |
| Other reasons | 5.7 (1.71) |
Source: Special tabulation by NCHS
Among women 15-49 years of age who had a hysterectomy within the past 5 years, percent distribution by main reason for the hysterectomy:
| 2015-2019 | |
|---|---|
| Percent (SE) | |
| She had all the children she wanted | 2.8 (1.24) |
| Medical reasons for the hysterectomy | 96.6 (1.34) |
| Other reasons | 0.7 (0.51) |
Source: Special tabulation by NCHS