Spain has some of the oldest mothers, with 11% of babies born to women over 40

Spain has some of the oldest mothers, with 11% of women having children after 40, compared to 4% in the US.
Financial insecurity and settling later in life play a prominent role.
But Spain’s affordable fertility treatments and excellent public healthcare are also factors.

Monica Cruz-Lemini, a 46-year-old obstetrician living in Spain, gave birth to her first child at the age of 44.

While pregnancies after 35 are considered “advanced maternal age,” Cruz-Lemini’s experience is not at all unusual in Spain, where more than 10% of all births involve mothers 40 and older.

“I think there’s a growing group of women in the last few years — and I’ve seen it both professionally and personally — who are a little bit like me,” Cruz-Lemini told Business Insider.

Spanish mothers are among the oldest

According to the latest Eurostat data, Spain had the second highest average age of women giving birth in Europe in 2022, at 32.6 years, as well as the second oldest age for first-time mothers, at 31.6 years.

Spain also ranks second for the proportion of births to women aged 40 and over; 11% of live births in the country were to mothers in their fifth decade or later.

In comparison, only about 4% of live births in the US were to women over 40, according to data from the US National Center for Health Statistics compiled by the nonprofit group March of Dimes.

(Comprehensive global data is not readily available, but Ireland came out on top in the latest European statistics.)

Financial insecurity

Delayed motherhood is a growing trend across Europe and beyond, not just in Spain.

However, Juan García-Velasco, chief scientific officer for IVIRMA Global, which operates a network of fertility clinics, points to “a combination of factors” that help explain Spain’s particularly high ranking.

A key factor, he said, is financial insecurity.

Spain has the highest unemployment and youth unemployment rates in the EU, and García-Velasco said this, combined with low wages and financial instability, causes many women to wait until they are more financially secure.

Sarah Richards, a Barcelona-born mother of two who had her second child aged 40, said people want to be financially secure and own their own home before starting a family, “so that this will happen much later here than in Great Britain, where wages are certainly higher.”

Property prices in cities and coastal areas also make it harder for many people to afford a home, with Spain having one of the highest average ages in Europe for young people leaving the family home – just over 30 years old.

“You can’t buy there, and the rents are just out of control,” Richards said. “You either have a very good job, or you have a rich family that can support you and help take care of the children.”

Fertility treatments

The longer wait often leads to an increased reliance on treatments such as IVF, and Spain leads Europe in IVF success rates, according to global fertility agency International Fertility Group.

While a similar comparison between Spain and the US is not available – as different countries and clinics measure success rates differently – Spain remains a popular destination for Americans exploring international fertility treatment options.

García-Velasco said this may be why it may feel less risky for some women in Spain to put off trying for children until later in life. “Since the result is good, it reduces the pressure and fear,” he said

IVF is also widely accessible in Spain and is free for women aged 40 and under, including those who are single or in same-sex relationships.

In comparison, the estimated average cost per IVF cycle in the US is about $12,000, according to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine.

Spain also has more IVF clinics than any other country in the EU, according to the European IVF Monitoring Consortium.

“The more facilities there are for becoming a mother later in life, the easier it will be,” said Pauline Bronkurst, who had her second child this year at the age of 43.

“In our case,” added Bronkurst, “both of our babies were conceived through IVF, so that definitely played a role.”

Genetic risks

Having children later in life increases the risk of genetic diseases.

But Bronkhurst emphasized the importance of Spain’s public health care system, which was especially helpful after her second child was born with a genetic condition.

While getting pregnant at an older age can increase the likelihood of complications, Bronkhurst said that in countries with universal health care and a high standard of medical care, the perceived risk of pregnancy at an advanced age is significantly lower.

“I think that plays into the whole issue of waiting longer,” she told BI.

Slow down to calm down

Another major factor contributing to delayed motherhood in Spain is that people are simply settling down later in life.

The average age of first marriage among men in Spain is 36.8, the highest in Europe, while for women it is 34.7, also the highest, according to the latest Eurostat data.

Stephanie Galavodas, who had her son three years ago at age 41, told BI that she waited until her 40s to have a child because she was “saying yes to things in life when I wasn’t partner to build a family”.

After years of studying, traveling and building her career, she eventually met her partner, with whom she had her child.

“I always knew I was going to have kids one day,” she said, “and so it felt good to get out into the world and experience things instead of rushing to have a baby first.”

Going alone

A growing number of Spanish women are also doing it alone.

García-Velasco said the fastest-growing group seeking fertility treatment at his clinics in Spain are single mothers who have decided to raise a child on their own.

This trend is not unique to Spain. A 2020 study published in Fertility and Sterility found a significant increase in the number of single women undergoing IVF in the US over the previous 12 years.

In Spain, García-Velasco said many single mothers seeking fertility treatment cite “the lack of an adequate partner” as their main motivation for going solo.

For Cruz-Lemini, the doctor who delivered her baby at age 44, that was the reality. “I’m a single mom by choice,” she told BI.

Cruz-Lemini was busy studying, training and then working as a doctor, but, she said, “You get to be about 40 years old and then suddenly you realize it might be your last chance or chance to have a baby.”

She found a sperm donor and pursued IVF. A little over two years ago, she gave birth to her daughter.