More women over 40 having babies as attitudes shift, fertility treatments improve

TYLER, Texas (KLTV) -More women over 40 are having babies than ever before.

Experts say this is because people are changing how they think about starting a family. Better fertility treatments are also helping women have children later in life.

One woman from East Texas shares her experience after finding out she was pregnant at 42.

Allison McComb says she had always had this dream in her heart to have four children.

But after having two miscarriages, that dream faded.

“I just decided, you know, I need to be grateful for what I have. I have three healthy children,” says McComb.

But a surprise came at the age of 42.

“Ifound out I was pregnant,” says McComb.

And this time, it was different.

“It was a little God wink to me that he..he went ahead and answered that prayer that I’d always had,” says McComb tearfully.

At the age of 43, her youngest daughter everlee, who is now six years old, was born.

“She has been such a blessing,” says McComb.

Over the past 10 to 20 years, there has been a big shift, with more women having children in their 40s.

“Women are pursuing their degrees….starting their careers, growing their careers… cost of living has gone up so much, particularly even in the last five to 10 years….perhaps they want to plan for a home or a better savings before pursuing pregnancy," says Dr.Sherilyn Willis, a OB/GYN Faculty Physician at UT Tyler School of Medicine.

However, pregnancy after 40 can come with higher risks.

“As our eggs age, the risk of a chromosomal problem goes up,” says pregnancies that are chromosomally abnormal have an increased risk of preeclampsia or blood pressure issues, preterm labor, preterm birth.”

For McComb, she had some complications.

“I did have to have her at 36 weeks gestation, which was very different from my other children,” says McComb.

“I think our improvement in advanced reproductive technology, which will give us medicines, technology to better predict healthy eggs, healthy embryos for healthy pregnancies, so I think that will only continue in the future and allow more women that opportunity after the age of 40,” says Willis.

CDC data shows fertility rates among women ages 40 to 44 rose 127% between 1990 and 2023.

“These women a lot of times are having their first,” says McComb.

McComb says she wouldn’t change a thing in her pregnancy with everlee.

“She has been a huge blessing to me and my family,” says McComb.

Whether you’re in your 20’s, 30’s, or 40’s going into pregnancy, experts say the most important thing is to go into pregnancy as healthy and prepared as possible.

CDC recommends the following steps for women of any age planning to have children:

• Talk to your healthcare provider about your health history
• Get 400 micrograms of folic acid daily
• Cut out tobacco and alcohol
• Maintain a healthy weight