Births among women over 50 rise 15% in England, figures show

Births to older mothers have increased in recent years as average ages for childbirth and IVF treatment also rise

It is an age when many are starting to enjoy the freedom of having older children - or their childfree choices - and using their spare time to get back to the gym, go on date nights and worry about their pensions. But, according to the Office for National Statistics, a growing number of women and their partners are choosing to enter the fray of newborn parenting in midlife.

According to Guardian analysis of the figures, there was a 15% rise in the number of women giving birth in England after hitting 50 between 2016- 2018 and 2019-2021. The figures reveal that in the 2019-2021 period seven women over the age of 60 gave birth - with two of them over the age of 65.