Average age of first-time mothers in Taiwan rises to 31.6: HPA

Taipei, Nov. 19 (CNA) The average age of first-time mothers in Taiwan reached 31.65 in 2024, marking a sharp four-year rise from the average age two decades ago, the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) said Wednesday.

The average age of 31.65 at first birth for Taiwanese mothers rose by 4.26 years from the average of 27.39 years in 2004, the HPA said in a news release, citing data from the Ministry of the Interior.

Meanwhile, over 30 percent of births in 2024 were "advanced maternal age" births in which the mother was aged 35 or above, the HPA said.

Among mothers bearing their second child, 37 percent were aged 35 or above, up 10 percentage points from 2014, the agency said, describing the changes as part of a broader societal trend of marrying later and delaying having children.

The HPA, an agency under the Ministry of Health and Welfare, urged couples considering having children to do so at a suitable age, warning that procedures such as egg freezing and IVF could come with complications.

Citing government data from 2023, the HPA said that for 36-year-old women, the successful implantation rate (pregnancy rate) after one IVF cycle was 29.9 percent, while the live birth rate was 23.4 percent.

For 44-year-old women, however, the successful implantation rate was only 9.3 percent, while the live birth rate was 5.6 percent, it said.

"Freezing eggs cannot prevent the risks associated with advanced maternal age pregnancies," such as higher rates of miscarriage, premature birth, birth defects and low birth weight, the agency noted.

For mothers, such pregnancies can create a higher risk of developing gestational hypertension, preeclampsia, a disorder that causes high blood pressure, and gestational diabetes, the health agency said.

Meanwhile, men over age 40 have higher rates of poor sperm quality and chromosomal abnormalities, making it harder to conceive. Fathers over age 45 are also associated with higher rates of gestational diabetes in their partner, and higher rates of autism, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia in their children, it added.

For couples planning to have children, the ideal time to do so is between the ages of 25 and 35 for women and before the age of 40 for men, the HPA said.

Under IVF subsidy rules that took effect Nov. 1, recipients on their first IVF attempt for each pregnancy are eligible for a subsidy of up to NT$150,000 (US$4,802) if under age 39, and up to NT$130,000 if aged 39 to 44.