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EXCLUSIVE Researchers pinpoint key sexual change that puts America on course for 2050 catastrophe
Women are having their first child older than ever, according to new data that suggests the already-shrinking US fertility rate could see further declines.
A new CDC report analyzing births from 2016 through 2023 found that the average age of first-time moms rose by nearly a year - from 26.6 years old in 2016 to 27.5 years old in 2023.
Similar increases were also observed among women having their second and third children, with the average age at birth rising by one year for second births and just short of a year for third and higher-order births.
Maternal age has been rising for decades, as the fertility rate in the US has been failing - having plunged to another new low in 2023, with fewer women than at any point in history having children.
The rate was 54.5 births per 1,000 women of childbearing age (15 to 44 years old) last year, a three percent fall compared to 56 in 2022.
The number of babies born in the US also declined year-over-year, with just under 3.6 million live births.
Dr Jamie Grifo, the program director at New York University Langone Fertility Center, told 'We're below zero population growth in the US, and have been for years.
'I think there will be a social factor. There will be a lot of issues that result from the lack of reproduction.'
The number of first births at age 30 and older also grew by nearly 13 percent for mothers ages 30 to 34 (from 22.3 percent to about 25 percent) and 25 percent for mothers age 35 and older (from 10 percent to 12.5 percent) from 2016 to 2023
The most recent CDC data showed that in 2023, the total fertility rate fell to 1.62 births per woman, the lowest since the government began tracking the metric in the 1930s.
Experts say the US is headed for a so-called 'underpopulation crisis' by 2050, when too few people are born to support its current economic system.
A previous National Vital Statistics Report found that from 1970 to 2000, the average age of mothers in the US rose by 2.6 years, with the most significant increase occurring among first-time mothers - from 21.4 in 1970 to 25 in 2000.
The number of first births at age 30 and older also grew by nearly 13 percent for mothers ages 30 to 34 (from 22.3 percent to about 25 percent) and 25 percent for mothers age 35 and older (from 10 percent to 12.5 percent) from 2016 to 2023.
This could be due to the rise in availability of birth control, as well as a steadily growing number of women in the workforce who are prioritizing career over starting a family.
The increase in age at the start of motherhood suggests that the fertility rate is set to fall further. The CDC data shows women on average in 2023 are having 25 percent fewer children than their mothers and 50 percent fewer than their grandmothers.
Births among women in their twenties have dropped by nearly one-third.
'Monitoring trends in maternal age at birth is important because maternal age can impact the total number of births and population growth and is associated with birth outcomes for both mothers and infants,' the CDC researchers said.
'For example, higher maternal age is linked to smaller family size on average and may carry different health risks and benefits compared with younger maternal age.'
Older maternal age, particularly past 35, increases some risks of pregnancy complications, including gestational diabetes and miscarriage, as well as genetic abnormalities in the baby, like Down syndrome.
'This long-term shift reflects changes in societal, educational, and economic factors influencing when women begin childbearing,' the researchers said.
The foundation for higher birth ages was laid in 1960 with the debut of the birth control pill, giving women control for the first time of their childbearing years.
In the years since, it's become more common for people to have children later in life for various reasons — from financial concerns and child care challenges to delaying marriage or partnership and focusing on education, careers, or personal time in early adulthood.
Choosing not to have children has also become more socially accepted, with some data indicating that more people are making that choice.
Some studies suggest that kids born to older parents — who tend to be college-educated and relatively affluent — often grow up to be healthier, better educated, and better behaved than peers with younger parents.
And women who have children later in life report larger happiness boosts around and after their birth, compared to younger mothers.
In a 2018 New York Times survey, about 25 percent of respondents said they had fewer children — or expected to — than they'd initially hoped for, often because of financial limitations or feeling they'd run out of time to reach their ideal family size.
