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England announced the in 1978. The United States followed suit three years later. During IVF, an egg is harvested and fertilized outside of the female body and then placed inside the uterus. Around are through IVF and have been born worldwide through the process in the past 40 years. Not everyone has the same access to fertility treatments, though.

An epidural—when pain medication inserted near the spine—has been around for over 50 years, but advances in the 1970s made the procedure safer and more popular among patients. From 1981 to 2001, the rate of epidural use tripled in the United States, with a majority of women choosing this during labor.

Compared to the 1960s, the length of labor for first-time mothers, to an average of 6.5 hours. Some attribute the use of epidurals to the longer labor time, but are also older and

In 1970, about 5.5% of pregnant women, a procedure that surgically removes the baby from the uterus. The , which is higher than the target rate of 23.9% recommended by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for low-risk births. While the procedure , doctors and hospitals are unnecessary C-sections. One way an individual can lower her chances of having a C-section that isn't required medically is to hire a doula, a licensed professional who can speak on behalf of the mother during labor. Women in labor who have a doula by their side are to have a C-section.

In 1970, a new mom would stay at the hospital . That number has dropped by 50%. Insurance companies are only  to cover 48 hours for a vaginal delivery or 96 hours for a cesarean section. Globally, women are often leaving , a time frame deemed too short by the World Health Organization.

The  back in 1350 B.C., but Americans couldn't pick up a modern pregnancy test until the late 1970s. Three years after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a woman's right to an abortion, the first was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The e.p.t., short for "early pregnancy test," came on the market in 1976.

Not only can women figure out if they're pregnant in the comfort of their own bathroom, they can use an at-home test to determine the best time to conceive. Over-the-counter test for the luteinizing hormone (LH), which increases 24-to-48 hours before ovulation. This LH surge triggers ovulation, the release of an egg from the ovaries. For best results, .

In 1970, the was 21.4. By 2016, women to have children. Today, are having children than those in their 20s.

The has increased while the rates for women 20 and under have decreased. With, some women are having children much later in their reproductive years. U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth and singer Janet Jackson are two women who became mothers in their 50s.

have dramatically decreased over the past 50 years. From 1970 to 2015, the United States saw a decrease from 20 to 5.9 per 1,000 births. While the rates have dropped for every race, at 11.2 per 1,000 live births, there is still between the mortality rates of white and black children.

In 1972, only their babies. That number steadily increased over the decades, with . In 1991, the World Health Organization and UNICEF launched the after research showed the health benefits of breastfeeding. The WHO recommends exclusively breastfeeding babies up to six months. Among new moms, there is often a debate of whether to breastfeed or use a formula, with women who give their babies formula sometimes being shamed for doing so—although breastfeeding does not work for everyone.

After advances in IVF, it became possible for a couple to have their own biological baby through —when someone else's uterus is used to carry a genetically unrelated child for another person or couple. The occurred in 1986. In 2016, a 53-year-old woman was a surrogate for her daughter,

In 2016, a federal judge in Mississippi ruled that the was illegal. While it is legal for same-sex couples to adopt in all 50 states, some states—like Colorado, Kansas, and Oklahoma—are trying to pass legislation to allow child-placement services with religious affiliations to .

A woman might harvest and freeze her eggs—technically called—because she will undergo cancer treatment or because she'd like to delay motherhood. The cost of storing eggs starts around $5,000, but of those who freeze their eggs ever actually use them. It's not clear how many women are choosing to put their eggs on ice, but some for employees.

In the 1960s, . About 40% of children today are born out of wedlock, in 1970. While some of those numbers represent single mothers, most are unwed couples who are cohabitating.

Pampers were first introduced in 1961. By 1980, American parents were going through ; look for those to biodegrade around year 2500. While some parents might prefer cloth diapers, these reusable options actually might not be

Between 1971 and 2011, mothers doubled in the United States because of increased use of fertility treatments. From 1998 to 2011, the number of triplets or more rose from 36% to 45% because of fertility drugs like clomiphene citrate (brand name: Clomid) and injectable hormones, not IVF. It's risky to have more than one child at a time, for both the mom and the children. The risk of premature birth, cerebral palsy, and developmental delays all increase.

In 1989, midwives were the for 3% of births in the United States. That number is now close to 9%. States that have better birth outcomes than states that make it harder for midwives to care for pregnant women and deliver babies. If a woman uses a midwife, she is at least six months than new mothers attended to only by an obstetrician.

Because of the , companies with 50 or more employees can't fire someone for taking up to three months off after the birth of their child. Millennial parents —which employers don't have to pay for—more than previous generations, with more dads viewing paternity leave as a necessity. Fathers also spend on child care than dads in the 1960s. That cost is eight hours a week, though, usually still much less than moms.

CRISPR is that scientists can use to cut sequences from DNA. American scientists have edited human embryos, but the . A Chinese scientist faced ethical questions after he of twin girls while they were embryos, which he said was to protect them from contracting HIV.

Using started in U.S. hospitals in the 1970s and early '80s. in the 1990s. Now parents can look at images in 3D and 4D—which may not be medically necessary—to see in real time. The tests can identify the sex and the number of fetuses, and detect fetal abnormalities, such as microcephaly (an abnormally small head), absence of kidneys, and spinal problems.

The  was invented in 1937. Since then, monitoring technology has advanced dramatically. The babies of 2019 not only have monitors in their rooms, but their parents can watch them on a video or from their smartphones.

In 1914, women  a controversial method that combined morphine to dull pain with scopolamine, a medication that erased a new mom's memory of the experience. Twilight sleep  with the rise of the Lamaze method, a breathing and relaxation technique that became well known in the '60s.

In 1983, occurred at the University of California, Los Angeles. In 2017, 20 years past menopause—she claimed to be around 70—gave birth to her first child using donated eggs. While it's possible to have children at older ages, there

In the early 1970s, , a relatively safe procedure during which a needle is inserted into the abdomen and a small amount of amniotic fluid from the sac around the fetus is removed and tested for genetic abnormalities like Down syndrome. In the 1990s, (CVS) became possible. CVS detects chromosome abnormalities earlier—10 weeks after conception—than can be achieved through amniocentesis. The test itself, however, may cause miscarriage or limb deformities of an otherwise normal baby. A myriad are also available today.

Couples experience infertility because of male issues about . Today, sperm count and motility can be analyzed. A can also look at the health of ejaculatory ducts.

became popular in the 1970s. A lack of regulation, however, is across the country. One fertility doctor also claimed to use anonymous sperm, but inseminated women with instead.

In the late 1950s, after most women started having hospital births, fathers were resigned to Much like surgery, doctors didn't want anyone other than the patient and nurses in the room. Starting in the 1960s, fathers could be present during labor. In the 1970s and 1980s, they got to stay for the birth. Now, most fathers are alongside mothers when their babies are born.

The fertility rate in 1972 , a number lower than the 2.235 rate during the Great Depression. The rate often drops during periods of economic uncertainty, like the or during a recession. Current fertility rates are at historic lows in the United States, with the number of births each woman is expected to have in her childbearing years The rate to replace the population is 2.1.

People may be having fewer children because it to raise a child born after 2015, excluding college costs. Adjusted for inflation, that number was more like $203,000 in 1960. The to help parents determine child-rearing costs based on how many kids they have and where they live.