28: The average age Louisiana moms give birth

The big picture: Today, the average Louisiana woman gives birth at 28.

• The national average is 29, up from 27 in 1997.

By the numbers: In 2023, 40.1% of births in Louisiana were to women 30 and older. In 1997, it was only 26%.

• Another big shift was with teen pregnancy. In 1997, 18.6% of births were to patients 19 and younger. In 2023, that number fell to 6.5%.
• Birth rates also flip-flopped for Louisianans in their 20s. In 1997, more people gave birth between 20 and 24 years old. In 2023, that shifted to women aged 25-29, the data shows.

Regions with higher income and education levels "are correlated with increased advanced maternal age," partly because women there are deliberately delaying pregnancy for economic reasons, says Jane van Dis, OB-GYN and assistant professor at the University of Rochester.

Catch up quick: 35 became the start of "advanced maternal age" decades ago, thanks to studies on the then-new invasive genetic test called an amniocentesis.

• But that's a "dated paradigm," and "there's nothing really particularly magic" about age 35, says Alison Cahill, professor and associate dean of translation research at the University of Texas at Austin's Dell Medical School.
• We have since learned that the amniocentesis risk is much lower than previously thought.

Reality check: Risks, including of miscarriage, increase much more after age 40, compared to 35.

More factoids about Louisiana moms:

• C-sections: Louisiana's C-section rate (36.1%) is higher than the national average (32.4%).
• Working mothers: More New Orleans moms are participating in the workforce within 12 months of giving birth. The city's rate of 69% is higher than the national average of 66.6%.

Go deeper:

• How Louisiana IVF clinics have worked around an embryo destruction ban for 40 years.
• Pregnancy at age 35 can have benefits.
• 75% of Louisiana's rural hospitals don't have maternity care.