CDC says first-time moms’ average age higher

Overall, the average age at which women had their first child increased to 26.3 years in 2014 from 24.9 years in 2000.

All states and the District of Columbia reported delays in motherhood since 2000.

One area of concern, doctors say older women having children increases a mothers risk of complications, like gestational diabetes, and passing on genetic defects. First births to mothers in their 30s are also rising, as women increasingly pursue careers before having children.

The percentage of women having their first child between ages 30 and 34 rose to 21 percent in 2014, up from 16.5 percent in 2000, according to the report.

The age at which US women have their first baby is going up, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Teens’ increased awareness of the realities of pregnancy, and greater job and education opportunities for women, are among factors behind the change, said CDC demographer T.J. Mathews, adding that the United States still has a younger average childbearing age than countries in Europe and Asia.

Over the past several decades, the United States continued to have a larger number of first births to older women along with fewer births to mothers under age 20. The average age of first-time mothers increased for all race and Hispanic origin groups from 2000 to 2014.

Researchers say these numbers are important for various reasons. “The U.S.is right on the cusp of replacement”.

Young women seem to be taking more precautions against unwanted pregnancies because the cost of having a baby is just too high for most modern American women. States such as California, Oregon, Washington D.C. and Utah all saw an increase of 1.9 years; while Michigan, Connecticut, West Virginia and New Hampshire all had an increase of less than a year.

Interestingly – and perhaps not unexpectedly – as the mean age of first-time mothers has increased, the amount of time they wait to have their second child has decreased.

In addition, teen abortion is not really a contributor to decreasing teen birth rates possible – that rate has also dropped since the 1990s.