Mothers are also getting older. The average age of mothers giving birth has risen from 30.0 years to 30.9 years. The average age of first-time mothers is 29.6 years, up more than a year from the previous decade.
The age at which women have their first child has increased. In 2019, 51% of first births were to women aged over 30, representing a significant rise from 23% in 1991 and 37% in 2001.
Having babies after 35 is safe
One of the biggest fears around pregnancy after 35 is the increased risk for complications during pregnancy or genetic disorders and other conditions that could affect the baby. But science shows that many healthy parents over 35 have healthy babies.
Over the past three decades, birthrates have declined for women in their 20s and jumped for women in their late 30s and early 40s. May 6, 2022, at 11:44 a.m.
Median age for new moms rises to 30 in U.S.
The researchers found that women who had live births had telomeres that were an average of 4.2 percent shorter than their counterparts with no children. This equates to around 11 years of accelerated cellular aging, said Anna Pollack, an epidemiologist at George Mason University and the lead researcher of the study.
Age of moms: According to pre-pandemic data, the average age of first time mothers in the US is 26, though it is on the rise among women from multiple socioeconomic groups [LINK].
But many first-time parents find that after the first month of parenthood, it can actually get more difficult. This surprising truth is one reason many experts refer to a baby's first three months of life as the “fourth trimester.” If months two, three, and beyond are tougher than you expected, you're not alone.
If born before week 37, your baby is considered a “preterm” or “premature” baby. If born before week 28, your baby is considered “extremely premature.” Babies born between weeks 20 to 25 have a very low chance of surviving without neurodevelopmental impairment.
Perhaps the most significant benefits to starting a family young are the greater chances of conception — and lowered risk of miscarriage, pregnancy complications, gestational diabetes and birth defects — compared to older-than-average mums.
Older women are more likely to have a baby with a chromosome disorder such as Down syndrome. If you are age 25, the chance of Down syndrome is about 1 in 1,250. If you are age 35, the risk increases to 1 in 400. By age 45, it is 1 in 30.
Age is one of the key factors that predict your ability to conceive. Your fertility starts to decline at age 30 and keeps on dropping steadily until you hit menopause. That said, it's not only possible to deliver a healthy baby after age 35, it's quite common.
Giving birth after 35 is risky.
Pregnant women past the age of 35 have an increased risk of pregnancy complications, including gestational diabetes, preeclampsia (high blood pressure) and intrauterine growth restriction (causing premature delivery).
Generally, the biomedical evidence suggests younger is better. There is an increase in maternal and child health problems with older mothers and women's fertility declines, especially after the age of 35. The sociological evidence suggests that the older the better.
The average age of fatherhood has increased by three-and-a-half years in the past 44 years, according to a Stanford University report, up to 30.9 years from 27.4 years old. The researchers used data from the National Vital Statistics System, which is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Time to Have a Kid. If they do have kids, married people usually have their first one during the first six years of marriage.
What's the best interval between pregnancies? To reduce the risk of pregnancy complications and other health problems, research suggests waiting 18 to 24 months but less than five years after a live birth before attempting your next pregnancy.
Two children. Research suggests that having two children is still most people's idea of the 'ideal' family size.
Ages 31 to 35
In your early 30s, the chances you'll be able to have a baby are still high. You still have a lot of high-quality eggs to offer, but your odds will start to decline steadily at this age. Your fecundity rate decreases gradually until age 32. At 37, it drops dramatically.
The typical American picture of a family with 2.5 kids might not be as relevant as it once was: In 2022, there was an average of 1.94 children under 18 per family in the United States. This is a decrease from 2.33 children under 18 per family in 1960.
Our telomeres shorten and our epigenetic age increases
Given that there is hyper cell production during pregnancy, it makes sense that those telomeres would shorten and, therefore, appear to age dramatically.
As the father grows older, the number of mutations in the father's genome increases, leading to an increase in the incidence of congenital malformations in offspring [11, 65]. Older paternal age may be harmful to the offspring's health in terms of genetic mutations, telomere length, and epigenetics [66].
Yvonne Butler Tobah, obstetrician and gynecologist at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., said a year postpartum usually resets body back to normal, but there are a few changes that can be permanent: Skin: A woman's face, areolas, stomach and moles often darken during pregnancy, and might stay that way.
If you've been trying to get pregnant for over 6 months, you should see your doctor to discuss your fertility. In general: Female fertility begins to decline faster after the age of 30. It declines more significantly after the age of 35.