Medical Moment: More births among women over 40 than teens for first time in US history

BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — For the first time in U.S. history, women over 40 are giving birth more often than teenage girls, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Local physicians say the milestone reflects major cultural and medical shifts, particularly as more women delay starting families and teenage pregnancies continue to decline.

“At my practice, I see patients all the time that come in at 41 or 42 and say, ‘I’m just now starting to think about childbearing,’” said Dr. Victoria Bourgeois, an OB-GYN at Baton Rouge General.

She explains that advances in contraception and greater access to family planning have played a key role.

“Accessibility to contraception has made it much easier for patients to postpone childbearing or to choose when they want to pursue it,” Bourgeois said. “And for many patients, career-wise, it just isn’t convenient until they’re in their 40s.”

Improved education, better access to healthcare, and family planning resources have pushed teen birth rates to record lows. Meanwhile, fertility treatments and medical advances have given older women more options.

Bourgeois encourages women considering pregnancy later in life to talk with their doctors early.

“Women planning to postpone childbearing past the age of 35 should have that conversation with their OB-GYN,” she said. “We can do evaluations, offer treatments, and even preserve fertility through options like freezing eggs or checking egg reserve.”

While more women are having children in their 40s, doctors caution that advanced maternal age can carry added risks.

“Things like chronic hypertension and diabetes are more common,” Bourgeois said. “We also see an increased risk of stillbirth later in pregnancy for women in their 40s. That’s why we often recommend induction around the due date, or sometimes a little earlier.”

Experts believe this trend will continue as women maintain more control over their reproductive health.

“As long as women are in the workplace, enjoying the power to choose when they start their family, I think it’s a great trend for women’s health,” Bourgeois said. “To be able to have babies in your 40s, if that’s what you want to do, is empowering.”

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