The conception rate for teenagers peaks in December and January as young people feel under pressure to have sex, new figures indicate.
In the six years between 2000 and 2005 a total of 21,000 teenage girls became pregnant in the months of December and January. The rise over the festive period contrasts sharply with February, where the number of conceptions falls to 18,000.
Part of the reason for the rise in young people falling pregnant at this time was that they felt under more pressure to have sex over Christmas and New Year, according to a study commissioned by the Department for Children, Schools and Families.
The figures come a week after the Office for National Statistics disclosed that the number of teenage pregnancies rose by 2.7 per cent in the last year, up from 40.9 girls in every 1,000 to 42.
The study indicated that a quarter of those aged between 13 and 17 felt under more pressure to sleep with someone at this time of year and more than two thirds admitted drinking more.
Much of the pressure came from peers and boys felt under more pressure than girls, with 77 per cent saying they were encouraged by their friends, compared to 44 per cent of girls.
Despite the high rate of conception over the Christmas period, the research showed that two thirds of parents still believed that their own teenage children were not having sex.
Only 20 per cent of parents thought that their child was likely to have sex at this time of year, while 34 per cent of teenagers said they were more likely to sleep with someone in December and January.
Gill Frances, the chairman of the government's Teenage Pregnancy Independent Advisory Group, said: "We have got solid research which shows young people are much more likely to get pregnant over Christmas than at other times of the year.
"I know that many parents are already doing a brilliant job of talking to their teenagers about sex and relationships but I'd urge all parents to give it a try."