For generations, women were told that fertility begins to decline sharply after the age of 30 and that motherhood should happen early. Yet an increasing number of women are becoming mothers in their late 30s and 40s, while others are choosing to delay parenthood altogether.
The trend is reflected globally. In the United States, nearly half of all women now reach age 30 without having had children, while birth rates continue to fall. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the fertility rate fell to a record low of 53.1 births per 1,000 women in 2025.
