SECULAR CHANGES IN EDUCATION, URBAN-RURAL LIVING, MENARCHE AND ABORTION RATES IN PERINATAL POPULATION

Over a 25-year period we examined the anthropological characteristics of mothers and their partners, such as the place of living: urban vs. rural, the degree of education, parity, the time of menarche, and the frequency of intentional abortions. We examined 2 414 mothers and their partners in four periods of time extending from 1985 to 2009 in order to establish changes in the said anthropological characteristics over a period of 25 years. The degree of education of mothers and their partners is on the rise. In the period from 1985 to 1994, the percentage of mothers from the country was on the rise. Women with less education have on average more children, and those with better education the least children. Women from rural areas have on average more children than women from urban areas. The time of menarche dropped by 9 months over the period of 25 years. Girls from urban areas have their first menstrual cycle earlier. Women with higher professional qualifications had their first period earlier. The number of intentional abortions over the 25-year period dropped.