March 2004

Average age of mothers in Victoria on the rise

More than one fifth of Victorian women giving birth are now older than 35—double the figure of 10 years ago.

Releasing the latest statistics on births in Victoria during 2001 and 2002, Health Minister Bronwyn Pike said the average age of mothers is still increasing, reaching 30.2 years in 2002, compared with 27.6 years in 1986.

‘The proportion of women aged 35 and over giving birth has risen to 20.5 per cent—almost doubling in the past 10 years.

‘The average length of stay following birth is 3.1 days in public hospitals and 4.5 days in private hospitals.

‘In 2002, 3.4 per cent of babies born were twins compared with 2.4 per cent of all babies being twins in 1986.

‘More than a quarter of twin births are to women 35 years and over, compared with 20 per cent of single births.’

Ms Pike said the number of babies born in Victoria in 2002 had increased slightly by 988 to 62,678.

‘The trend over the past decade has been in steady decline with only one other year, 1999, showing an increase.

Chairman of the Consultative Council on Obstetric and Paediatric Mortality and Morbidity James King said 97 per cent of the 125,174 babies born in the two-year period were delivered in hospitals.

‘This underlines the important role our specialist health care facilities play in meeting the needs of Victorian women at a very special time in their lives,’ Dr King said.

‘Only a small proportion of women gave birth at home as planned at 0.3 per cent with a further 2.3 per cent giving birth in a birth centre within a hospital.

‘The number of women who gave birth in unplanned circumstances before arriving at hospital was slightly higher at 0.4 per cent.’

Other figures include:

• The caesarean section rate is still rising with an overall rate of 27 per cent;

• The proportion of women giving birth in private hospitals has risen from 32 per cent in 1998 to 37 per cent in 2002;

• Almost a quarter of women giving birth in Victoria are overseas born;

• An increase in the proportion of low birthweight babies (<2,500gm), up from 5.9 per cent in 1986 to 6.9 per cent in 2002.

• Births in Victoria 2001–2002 can be found at www.health.vic.gov.au/perinatal.