Pregnancy rates among teens and younger women fall as more of us choose to wait to start a family
30+ mums are more the norm now
Young and especially teen pregnancy rates are falling fast as the number of us waiting until they turn 30 to have a baby has increased by half, the Office of National Statistics (ONS) has revealed.
Better healthcare has been cited as a reason we’re able to wait combined with our desire to establish a career and ensure our family will be financially stable.
“The rising numbers of women conceiving for the first time in their 30s or 40s follows a trend we have seen over the past decade, although the number conceiving over 40 is still relatively small,” said Elizabeth Duff, from the National Childbirth Trust (NCT). “Many older women who are fit and well can go on to have a straightforward pregnancy and birth, and a healthy baby.”
The stats show that 27,000 women a year now get pregnant in their 40s. Women conceiving between 30 and 35 has gone up by 55% since 1990, while those falling pregnant between 35 an 40 has almost doubled.
“Whilst childbearing used to start in our twenties, today women are increasingly waiting until their thirties,” explained Anastasia de Waal, from think-tank Civitas. “For middle and upper-income background women in particular, babies now frequently follow a decade of higher education and career development.”
Find out more about having a baby over 35.
