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More older women becoming first-time moms amid U.S. fertility rate declines
For the first time in 2023, there were more births among women 40 and older than there were to teenage girls, according to a government report.
www.nbcnews.com
the average number of children born to a woman during her reproductive years — continued its decadeslong slide through 2023, with American women having an average of 1.62 children, compared to 1.66 in 2021 and 2022.
Overall, the rate has declined 14% since 1990, driven largely by younger women under the age of 30 who are having fewer children.
For the first time in 2023, there were more births among women 40 and older than there were to teenage girls, a trend which aligns with both long-sought public health goals of decreasing teen births, while reflecting medical advancements which have allowed older women to have healthy pregnancies.
As the average maternal age has increased, far more women ages 35 and older are also having children, according to the NCHS, part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which tallies all known births in the U.S. From 1990 to 2023, the fertility rate for women ages 35 to 39 increased 71%, and for women ages 40 to 44, the rate increased 127%.