9 Comments

  1. Data source: [CDC WONDER data portal](https://wonder.cdc.gov/natality.html), 3 separate queries (1995-2002, 2003-2006, 2007-2024)

    Tools: python, matplotlib

    I just discovered the [matplotlib-label-lines package](https://github.com/cphyc/matplotlib-label-lines); it’s easy to use and produces nice results, highly recommended.

    [Blog post with visualization code (nothing that fancy this time, just a line plot) and links to download the CSV data](https://aaronjbecker.com/posts/thirties-are-the-new-twenties-us-births-by-maternal-age-group/) so you don’t have to use the WONDER query tool.

  2. Most of the drop in fertility is from young women having access/education about contraceptives. It turns out in the past most babies just came into the world by chance and ignorance

  3. Sweet. Teen pregnancy is generally not great, and that seems like the biggest thing to change. 

  4. As a pregnant 39 year old, its because its harder and harder to “grow up”. I was living in house shares until I was 34, bought a house at 36, got married at 37 as I couldn’t afford it sooner. And that was with parental help. I didn’t have to do it in that order but I wanted to, I wanted the dream I was sold on. I would love to have done it all sooner.