Rising age of women's first birth

[Anchor]

Now let's look at the issue of low birth rates.

As the age of first marriage rises, the number of first births among women in their 40s is notably increasing.

As much as older pregnancies and births require more time and costs, there are calls for more active government support.

This is Jeong Yeon-wook reporting.

[Report]

This 46-year-old woman has been undergoing tests and treatments for in vitro fertilization for the past five years.

[Lee Moon-joo/46 years old: "On the contrary, there are people who say hopeful things, so I thought, let's give it a try, I can do it. I keep going with the belief that it will work out."]

The biggest obstacle to getting pregnant is not the older age but the costs.

Currently, 70% of infertility treatments costs is covered by health insurance, for up to 25 cycles. But after that, patients must bear the full cost.

For women in their 40s who are struggling to conceive, the financial burden is significant.

[Lee Moon-joo/46 years old: "If health insurance doesn't cover it, all the injections and medications have to be paid out of pocket, so the prices skyrocket. After health insurance runs out, the egg collection cost about 3 million won? It was around that much."]

In the past four years, the number of first births among women in their 20s and 30s has decreased, but the number among women in their 40s has increased by about 24%.

The proportion of mothers over 40 has also increased by nearly 10% among all mothers.

As the age of first marriage for women continues to rise, the number of older births over 40 has also increased.

In fact, more women are choosing to freeze their eggs while they are still younger.

The number of frozen eggs stored in the country has increased 2.5 times in the past three years.

Experts point out that the government should provide more active support for fertility tests and egg freezing for older pregnant women.

[Kim Young-joo/Obstetrician: "There are many patients in the clinic who, having had no thought of childbirth, meets someone they want to marry at 42 and then realize they are a bit late and regret it."]

There are also calls to increase the annual infertility leave, which is currently six days, as older expectant mothers need more frequent visit hospitals.

This is KBS News Jeong Yeon-wook.