Summary
In a new report, the National Center for Health Statistics at the CDC has confirmed that the average age at which American women deliver their first babies has increased in the last 40 years. The Center reports that there were more than nine times as many first births to women 35 years old or older in 2012 than there were four decades earlier. Juxtaposed to this trend is a decrease in the last decade in first birth rates for women younger than 30 years old. This Forum examined the societal and technological factors driving delayed pregnancy, including fertility treatments; delved into the health risks to older mothers and their babies; and explored both the risks and the benefits to older parenthood.
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Part of: Policy Controversies.
Presented in Collaboration with PRI's The World and WGBH
Background Articles
- More Women Delaying First Pregnancy: CDC
WebMD - First Births to Older Women Continue to Rise
NCHS - Maternal and Child Health/Children, Youth, and Families Interdepartmental Concentration
HSPH
Image Credit: ©iStockphoto.com/Rinelle
