Data on this page are from the Better Outcomes Registry & Network (BORN) unless otherwise indicated.
Individuals who are older when they get pregnant are more likely to experience complications during pregnancy including high blood pressure, diabetes, preterm birth, fetal growth restriction and low lying placenta. On the other hand, those who delay childbearing often have a higher level of education and socioeconomic status, which decreases some of the health problems associated with their pregnancy. So people who have their first baby at an older age and who have no chronic conditions generally have healthy pregnancies and healthy babies.
There is a general trend in Simcoe Muskoka and Ontario towards older individuals having babies as shown in the age-specific fertility rate page. The percentage of Simcoe Muskoka residents who gave birth and who are 30 to 39 years old has increased between 2013 and 2018. The percentage of individuals who are younger than 25 years at the time of birth has decreased during this time. Among Simcoe Muskoka residents who gave birth in 2018, almost two-in-five (38.3% (37.0%, 39.6%)) were between 30 and 34 years old, three-in-ten (30.3% (29.0%, 31.5%)) were 25 to 29 years old, 17.1% (16.1%, 18.2%) were 35 to 39 years old and 10.1% (9.3%, 11.0%) were 20 to 24 years old. Only 1% to 3% of individuals who gave birth in 2018 were 15 to 19 years old or 40+ years old.
The age distribution in Ontario is older than in Simcoe Muskoka with a higher percentage of individuals who gave birth in the 35 to 39 year old age group (20.9% (20.7%, 21.1%)) and the 40+ year old age group (4.6% (4.5%, 4.7%)) in 2018. There was a smaller percentage of individuals in the 25 to 29 year old age group (26.2% (26.0%, 26.5%)) in Ontario compared to Simcoe Muskoka.
