Over the last few decades, birth rates have decreased across the globe.

The United States is no exception. Aside from a few years in the mid-2000s, the number of births in the United States have been falling for the last three decades and have now reached their lowest number in 32 years.

The country is now below population replacement rates as a nation. This means that the population will start to shrink in numbers, generation by generation.

As a specialist in infertility, I see women who live this trend on a daily basis as they struggle with their decisions regarding childbearing and fertility.

1. Why are birth rates declining?

There can be many reasons, and not all of them are bad. Certainly the reduction in teenage birth rates – from 41.5 per 1,000 women in 2007 to 17.4 per 1,000 women in 2018 – should be welcome news.

Age plays a role as well. While birth rates declined for nearly all age groups […]

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