In 2002, there were 4,021,726 live births, roughly unchanged from 2001. In 2002, the birth rate, fertility rate, and total fertility rate all fell by 1%. The number of deaths during childbirth declined by 24%, to 35,000. This was due to improvements in medical care that resulted in fewer deaths of mothers and infants.
The most common method of delivering a baby is by cesarean section. In 2002, this method accounted for 43% of all deliveries. Vaginal delivery accounts for about 53% of all births. Rates of vaginal delivery are increasing for several reasons, including increased use of epidural anesthesia which reduces the pain associated with giving birth vaginally. Also, more women are choosing vaginal delivery instead of a cesarean section because they find it has many benefits, such as reducing the risk of breast cancer after pregnancy and providing better bonding with their babies.
Women who have a cesarean section face higher risks of death from uterine rupture, infection, and hemorrhage than those who give birth vaginally. However, these risks decrease over time for women who have a cesarean section when compared with women who have a vaginal delivery soon after the operation.
In 2004, there were 4,112,052 births reported in the United States, which was less than 1% higher than in 2003. The crude birth rate fell marginally, but the overall fertility rate grew by less than 1%.
The number of births has been declining since its peak in 2007, when more than 45 million people were born alive in the world. Since then, the global population has increased every year.
Births are the basis for all future populations; therefore, they are essential to understanding how families build wealth over time. In fact, children represent the greatest long-term investment a family can make!
The number of births has decreased because of one or both of the parents becoming older during their childbearing years. The proportion of births to mothers under age 20 declined from 52.9% in 1973 to 31.4% in 2004. The proportion of births to mothers aged 35 and older rose from 7.7% to 15.5% during this time period.
Cesarean sections are now used by nearly one out of five women in America! This number has increased over the years as more expensive surgeries have been developed to deal with increasing numbers of difficult deliveries. Mothers who have cesareans tend to stay in the hospital for several days instead of returning to work soon after giving birth.
Yearly Live Births and Birth Rates
| Year | Births 1 | Rate 2 |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 3,899,000 | 14.7 |
| 1997 | 3,882,000 | 14.5 |
| 1998 | 3,941,553 | 14.6 |
| 1999 | 3,959,417 | 14.5 |
There were 4,138,349 births. In 2005, the number of births registered in the United States grew by 1% to 4,138,349, up from 4,138,349 in 2004. The crude birth rate in 2005 was 14.0, the same as the previous year; the general fertility rate climbed slightly to 66.7. Teenage childbearing has continued to fall, reaching the lowest numbers ever recorded. The share of women who had a first birth before age 20 fell to 12%, the lowest level since 1970. Also declining is the percentage who have their first baby after age 25: down to 6%. Women are waiting longer before having children than ever before, which is keeping rates of infant mortality low.
The number of abortions performed in the United States in 2005 was 1,069,832. This represents about 13 abortions per 1000 women of reproductive age. The abortion rate dropped sharply after a peak in 1980 at nearly one in five pregnancies. The decline can be attributed to increased use of contraception - particularly the pill - and delay of pregnancy until later in life. There were fewer abortions in 2005 than in any other year since Roe v. Wade.
Women now tend to have their first child around age 27, compared with ages 22 to 24 during the 1990s. The increase is due mainly to changes among younger women, rather than older mothers getting pregnant for the first time later in life.
The number of infants killed in 2000-2005 remained near historic lows despite the rise in births.
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