Studies at the National Center for Health Statistics show that fertility rates in the United States have been in steady decline. Birth records for 2016 show that birth rates in women between the ages of 15 and 44 were at only 6.2%, or 62 births per 1000 women.
Fewer teen pregnancies
Birth rates for teenage girls have even declined as much as 9% during that same period. A trend that has been ongoing since 1991which studies show birth rates have decreased by 67% in teens between 1991 and 2016. This decrease in birth rates among teens holds valid across all age groups of teens and all races.
Causation
The study doesn’t show what the cause of this decline is. Whether it is due to an actual decrease in fertility or an increase in the use of birth control is not mentioned.
Single women pregnancies
Birth rates among single women showed a decrease of about 4% from 2015 to 2016, marking the 8th year of decline in numbers since 2008.
Opposing figures
While the numbers of births among teens have shown to be in decline, the numbers of births in women over 30 years of age have shown an increase. Women aged 30 to 44 years show an increase in birth rates of 1% from 2015 to 2016.
Women aged 35 to 39 years increased by 2% during that same period. Birth rates for women aged 40 to 44 showed an increase of 4% from 2015 to 2016, and women 40 to 49 were up nearly 1%. This may be due to the numbers reflecting IVF success rates and the increased number of gestational pregnancies due to IVF medications and assisted fertility.
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