Study: The "optimal" age for women to have their first child is 16–20, and their second child 21–25.
This paper investigated the effect of maternal age on the outcome of 1.7 million first births from 1990 U.S. natality and mortality records.
After controlling for smoking, education, race, marital status, and diabetes (a BMI proxy), mothers age 16–20 had "fetuses which were significantly more likely to survive" and newborns that "did as well or better [and] were more likely to survive to 1 year" when compared to mothers age 21–25.
Even without controls, mothers age 16–20 "had a much lower risk of potentially life-threatening complications of labor and delivery."
The study concludes: "it is not surprising that women's evolved life history seems to schedule first reproduction soon after the attainment of adult size and sexual maturity."
Source: Lassek & Gaulin (2021)
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/14747049211039506
See also: Young marriage does not causally increase divorce risk.
#fertility
This paper investigated the effect of maternal age on the outcome of 1.7 million first births from 1990 U.S. natality and mortality records.
After controlling for smoking, education, race, marital status, and diabetes (a BMI proxy), mothers age 16–20 had "fetuses which were significantly more likely to survive" and newborns that "did as well or better [and] were more likely to survive to 1 year" when compared to mothers age 21–25.
Even without controls, mothers age 16–20 "had a much lower risk of potentially life-threatening complications of labor and delivery."
The study concludes: "it is not surprising that women's evolved life history seems to schedule first reproduction soon after the attainment of adult size and sexual maturity."
Source: Lassek & Gaulin (2021)
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/14747049211039506
See also: Young marriage does not causally increase divorce risk.
#fertility