Show 1489: The Baby Bust: Why Is Fertility Falling and What Can You Do About It?
The People's PharmacyShow Notes
Birth rates have been dropping for years. This is happening in many parts of the world, not just the US. Demographers estimate that women need to have 2.1 children, on average, to replace the population. (The US is currently at about 1.7 or 1.8 children per woman.) Where the average number of babies falls below replacement, the country may end up with more elderly people than children. Eventually, this can have economic and social consequences. In this episode, we explore the baby bust. Why is fertility falling?
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Why Is Fertility Falling?
Fertility in the US is at a historical low, according to our guest, Dr. Linnea Zimmerman. Whether or not this baby bust constitutes a crisis depends upon your perspective, however. Those who see young people primarily as eager working hands could perceive the economic effects of falling fertility as a future crisis. Others who worry that we are straining the ecological limits of the planet might view a decline in fertility more positively.
We asked Dr. Zimmerman about the sources of this baby bust, and she explained that the factors are complex. Although there will almost certainly be some economic consequences of a steep drop in fertility, economic considerations are also important for people considering parenthood. Housing is expensive, and so is childcare. Do they feel confident about their healthcare coverage?
It is not clear that the lifetime fertility rate of American women has declined as steeply as the statistics suggest. One good aspect of the current situation is fewer teenage pregnancies. In addition, many women in their 20s, when past generations would have been bearing babies, may be waiting until they feel more settled in their lives, or until they find a suitable partner to raise children with. This can take time.
Has Environmental Contamination Affected Fertility?
We asked Dr. Zimmerman if we could attribute fertility falling to exposure to environmental factors such as forever chemicals. While PFAS compounds are certainly not good for humans and should be avoided as much as possible, we don’t yet have evidence that they are contributing to a baby bust.
What Can You Do About Fertility Challenges?
We turned to Dr. Genevieve Neal-Perry to learn about what options people might have if they discover they need help conceiving. According to Dr. Neal-Perry, the available technology has improved greatly over the years, and fertility specialists are frequently able to help a woman conceive and carry the pregnancy to term. Moreover, many more people now have fertility benefits as part of their health insurance. In past years, this was much less common.
The source of a fertility challenge is not always obvious. Dr. Neal-Perry suggests that a third of the time, the difficulty lies with the female, a third of the time with the male and a third of the time with the combination. If a woman has endometriosis and is not ovulating, that would need to be addressed first. Men’s fertility begins to drop when they are in their 40s or 50s. Men who take testosterone
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