The number of pregnant women over forty exceeds teenage pregnancy for the first time

According to new research, going to university for a long period of time and having a well-paid career is leading many women to delay having kids. The results of this is a huge rise in the number of pregnant women over forty.

 

For the first time, the official count of pregnancies revealed that the number of women in their forties expecting children has overtaken the number of expectant mums in their teens.

 

The Office for National Statistics report said: “Reasons for an increased number of women conceiving at ages 30 and above included increased participation in higher education; increased female participation in the labour force; the increasing importance of a career; the rising opportunity costs of childbearing; labour market uncertainty, housing factors and the instability of partnerships."

 

The figures show that the majority of pregnant women over forty have planned their pregnancy and that the baby boom among this age group has doubled since 1990.