Good News, Ladies: Infertility Rates Actually Falling

Good news for women planning to have a baby later in life: Infertility is actually on the decline, even as average marriage ages climb. A new report shows that of married women, aged 15 to 44, just 6% are infertile, down 2.5% since 1982. For women 35 to 44, the number is quite a bit higher at 27%, but that still marks a drastic change from 44% in 1982, Medscape reports. So what's behind the downward trend? Fertility treatment and fewer women trying to get pregnant later, researchers say.

"The level of infertility is being counteracted by their pursuit of medical help to have a child," the study lead told USA Today. "Both together are bringing down the percentage we see as infertile when we do our survey." But while infertility may be headed downward, the report, which interviewed 22,682 men and women, noted the number of those who have difficulty getting pregnant or carrying a pregnancy to term rose almost 5% from 10.8% to 15% in 2002—though the newest data shows it settled at about 12%. (More infertility stories.)