Postponed pregnancies or changes in access to contraceptives could have influenced 2021 birth rates, e “2020 was such a weird year,” lei disse.
“I’m always a little bit skeptical of just one year [of data]. But in this case, I really would need to see what happens in 2022 to try to suggest that that’s any kind of a rebound or trend.”
While birth rates rose for white and Hispanic women in 2021, they dropped for Black, Asian and American Indian women.
Complessivamente, rates of c-sections — including those for low-risk deliveries — continued upward trends. Nearly a third (32%) of all deliveries and more than a quarter (26%) of low-risk deliveries were c-sections.
Preterm birth rates also increased in 2021. Di 10.5% of infants were born at less than 37 weeks gestation, the highest that rate has been since at least 2007.
Rates of c-section and preterm birth were disproportionately high for Black women, the provisional data shows.
“When a pregnant person is under stress, that can lead to an increase in preterm births. And clearly, there was a lot of stress in 2020 and 2021,” Jarosz said.
Alcuni
ricerca has also linked Covid-19 infection during pregnancy to a higher risk of preterm birth.
Teen birth rates reached another record low nationwide, con circa 14 births for every 1,000 females age 15 per 19.
But birth rates rose for all age groups 25 e su — especially among those ages 35 per 39. The average age of mothers at time of birth has been on the rise for at least a decade. And although the average age of mothers is not yet available for 2021, preliminary data show that more than half of births were among mothers who were 30 o più vecchio, dal 49% nel 2020.