It looks like people who think the show promotes teen pregnancy will have to think again. As it seems that MTV shows "Teen Mom" and "16 and Pregnant" are actually helping reduce the rate of teen pregnancy!

According to a report by The Wrap, A new study by the National Bureau of Economic Research suggests that the MTV show "16 and Pregnant" and its "Teen Mom" spinoffs led to a decline in the birthrate among U.S. teenagers in the 18 months after their premiere in June 2009.

"Our most important finding is that the introduction of '16 and Pregnant' along with its partner shows, 'Teen Mom' and 'Teen Mom 2,' led teens to noticeably reduce the rate at which they give birth," the NBER report reads.

The study, which explored how the specific images and videos of teen pregnancy and the struggles of teen parenthood influenced teens' interest in use of contraceptives or abortion, found that "16 and Pregnant" led to a 5.7 percent reduction in teen births between June 2009 and the end of 2010. The reduction accounts for one-third of the total drop in the teen birth rate over that time frame.

NBER examined data from Nielsen ratings as well as Google Trends and Twitter to document changes in viewing and searches for pregnancy alternatives. Researchers found that the MTV teen pregnancy shows led to increases in searches for birth control methods and abortion.

The study though is careful to note that the overall teen abortion rate decreased during that 18-month period, meaning the actual rate of teenagers becoming pregnant, rather than becoming pregnant and choosing to end their pregnancy, declined.

"Data limitations preclude us from conducting separate analyses of pregnancies and abortions, but we note that teen abortion rates also fell over this period," the study reads.

"This suggests that the shows' impact is attributable to a reduction in pregnancy rather than greater use of abortion."