Private MD News

More college-educated women are starting families than in the past

Category: Infertitlity Hormone Testing

In recent decades, many women felt forced to choose between a career and a family. This meant that those who went to college in order to pursue professional success were less likely to have children than those who did not go on to higher education. However, a new study suggests that this trend may be turning around.

A team of researchers from Ohio State University found that childlessness rates among college-educated women peaked in the late 1990s, when 30 percent of women in this group decided not to have children.

However, that rate dropped about 5 percentage points between 1998 and 2008. A greater number of women decided to wait until their late 30s or early 40s to try to conceive during these years.

"We may be seeing the beginning of a new trend," said researcher Bruce Weinberg. "For the highly educated women born after the late 50s, they are more likely to have children than did previous cohorts, and they are having them near the end of their childbearing years."

FSH testing may play a role in the ability of career-minded women to also start families. Knowing one's fertility levels could enable individuals to time their first pregnancy for after they have gained economic and professional security.