For decades, women have been told that their biological usefulness ends after age 35 when their reproductive systems begin to decline. The general consensus was that at the age of 35 it becomes more difficult for women to get and sustain a healthy pregnancy, with possible implications including birth defects, premature birth, and an increase in multiples.
Earlier this month, scientists published a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association that extends the reproductive years of the average U.S. woman from 35 to 37 years. This increase in reproductive years may be a direct result of the average extension between the age a woman gets her first period, which decreased from 13.5 to 12.7, to when she gets menopause, which increased from 48.4 to 49.9.
Though more research is needed, extending fertility may be cause for both celebration and remorse for modern women. Broadening the fertility lifespan could raise the risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and endometrial cancer in women as all 3 cancers are hormonal-based. On the other hand, the extension may validate women deciding to delay first-time pregnancies. Past research has shown that at age 35 the chance of women miscarrying is about 20 percent, but by age 45, the chance for miscarriages increases to 80 percent. This trend may slow as female reproductive years are extended. This is good news for women in Washington D.C., where on average women are waiting until age 29 to have their first child.