The Lowest Birthrate in a Quarter of a Century May Equal Growth in a 21st Century Adoption Choice

Young adults in their twenties who put off parenthood because of the economic slump are still holding back when it comes to starting their family, causing the States’ birthrate to drop to its lowest point in 25 years. As the economic situation declined, the birthrate fell 12% from a height of 2.12 births per woman in 2007 (USA Today).

The birthrate is not expected to make a comeback for at least two years and could impact the number of births for years to come, as reported by Demographic Intelligence, a Virginia-based company that produces quarterly birth forecasts for consumer products and pharmaceutical giants. Demographic Intelligence projects the rate to hit 1.87 in 2012 and 1.86 in 2013 – the lowest since 1987 (USA Today).

While Hispanics and those without a college education have seen a greater decline in births, the number of births to college-educated, non-Hispanic Caucasian and Asian Americans has increased (USA Today).
This economic downturn has had a more significant, enduring and accelerated impact on birthrates than any other economic hardship since the Great Depression (USA Today).

Between high unemployment rates and large student loans, many young adults are feeling pressured to move back in with their folks and to delay starting a family. The longer one waits to build her family, the more likely he/she is to need assisted reproductive technologies (ART) such as In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), egg donation, or embryo donation (Reproductive Partners). The economic fallout may mean that embryo adoption becomes increasingly the chosen family building alternative, as it is a less expensive alternative than egg donation and IVF.

Learn more about embryo donation and adoption at EmbryoAdoption.org.

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