The birth of Jesus to the "virgin" Mary is an old story often recounted, especially around this time of year. But self-reports from women suggests that virgin births are also a modern day phenomenon.
Nearly 1 percent of women claim to have gotten pregnant without having sexual intercourse or assisted reproductive technology, according to a new study Reuters reported.
"Reporting dates of pregnancy and sexual initiation consistent with virgin pregnancy was associated with cultural mores highly valuing virginity, specifically signing chastity pledges, and with parental endorsement of items indicative of lower levels of communication about sex and birth control," researchers said in a statement.
The authors of the published study "Like A Virgin (Mother)" attributed these "scientifically impossible" claims to fallible memory, beliefs and wishes; they say these factors can cause people to err in what they report to scientists.
Researchers at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill analyzed data for 7,870 women who were interviewed confidentially and multiple times over a 14-year period between adolescence and adulthood as part of the US National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health.
Based on the interviews they conducted with the participants 45 of the 5,340 - 0.8 percent - of the pregnancies in this group occurred in women who reported that they conceived independent of men.
Researchers found that the self-described virgins who reported having become pregnant and the 36 who gave birth were also more likely than non-virgins to say their parents never or rarely talked to them about sex and birth control, Reuters reported.
The parents of the women participating in this study were also interviewed. Based on their responses, researchers found that about 28 percent of the "virgin" mothers' parents indicated they didn't have enough knowledge to discuss sex and contraception with their daughters, compared to 5 percent of the parents of non-virgins who became pregnant.
Women who reported birth without sexual intercourse or assisted reproductive technology were less likely to know how to use condoms, according to the report.
The women were adolescents when they entered the study in the 1994-95 school year and were interviewed periodically about their health and behavior for the next 14 years. According to a press release, State of the art technology, such as audio computer-assisted self interview and computer-assisted self interview, was used as a way to encourage them to be candid when answering questions about their sexual history.
Virgins were on average 19 years old at the time they gave birth than non-virgins who were 22 years. Perceived importance of religion was associated with virginity but not with virgin pregnancy.
Parents of respondents reported how much they had talked with their child about sex or birth control, and school administrators reported whether sex education was offered in the respondent's school.
