Anna Lipnevič
https://doi.org/10.63588/lsr-2025-14-5
Santrauka. Kai gimstamumas Lietuvoje mažėja, itin vėlyvame amžiuje gimdymų skaičius pastarąjį
dešimtmetį lėtai, bet auga. Vienas po kito žiniatinklyje pasirodo pranešimų apie moterų itin
vėlyvos motinystės atvejus, tuo tarpu mokslininkai jau nuo praėjusio šimtmečio pabaigos kelia
ir bando atsakyti į su tuo susijusius klausimus. Straipsnyje nagrinėjamas socialinis reiškinys – itin vėlyva motinystė, kai vaikų susilaukiama vyresniame nei 45 metų amžiuje, dar vadinamas vyresnio amžiaus motinyste. Analizuojami statistiniai duomenys: kaip jie keičiasi moterims gimdant per 45 metų amžiaus nuo XX a. vidurio iki dabar, kaip Lietuvos situacija šiuo atžvilgiu atrodo ir kaip kinta Europos bei pasaulio kontekste. Tyrimo tikslas – išanalizuoti Lietuvos moterų vėlyvųjų gimdymų kaitos statistiką ir motinystės per 45 metų amžiaus situaciją bei jos kaitą Europos ir pasaulio kontekste.
Tyrimo metodologija – tyrimui naudotos mokslinės literatūros apžvalga, statistikos analizė ir
sintezė.
Raktažodžiai: Itin vėlyva motinystė, gimdymai, gimstamumas, Lietuva, Europa, pasaulis.
Changes in Childbirth Among Women Aged Over 45 in Lithuania Within the European and Global Context
Summary. As overall fertility rates in Lithuania continue to decline, births at very late maternal ages have been gradually increasing over the past decade. Reports of exceptionally late motherhood cases regularly appear online, while scholars have been raising and attempting to address issues related to delayed childbirth since the late twentieth century. The purpose of this study is to analyse statistical developments in late-age childbirth among Lithuanian women, with specific attention to motherhood at age 45 and above, and to examine how these patterns compare within the broader European and global contexts. The tasks of the study are as follows: 1) to review scientific literature
and theoretical approaches concerning demographic change associated with delayed childbearing; 2) to discuss and systematically summarise the advantages and disadvantages of extremely late motherhood based on existing research; to examine trends in Lithuanian fertility; 3) to analyse changes in childbirth among Lithuanian women across age groups and to identify patterns associated with very late births; 4) to analyse age-specific childbirth trends globally and in Europe, focusing on extremely late motherhood; 5) to situate Lithuania’s position comparatively within European and global trends. The study employs a literature review, statistical analysis, and synthesis. Data sources include United Nations statistical databases, the State Data Agency, and secondary sources. The article examines the social phenomenon of extremely late motherhood—defined as childbearing after the age of 45, also referred to as geriatric motherhood. The analysis focuses on statistical developments in Lithuania from the mid-twentieth century to the present and compares these changes with trends in Europe and globally. Research aim: to investigate changes in late-age childbirth among Lithuanian women and to analyse the situation of motherhood at 45+ within European and global contexts.
Methodology: literature review, statistical analysis, and synthesis.
Key findings:
• Despite the relevance of population ageing and delayed childbearing, academic discourse on extremely late motherhood remains limited. In Lithuania, such births continue to receive attention primarily in public discourse rather than in scholarly research. This may be due in part to the relatively small number of cases and in part to limited access to detailed birth statistics.
• From a medical standpoint, extremely late childbirth raises considerable concern within the medical community and is associated with a range of risks for both maternal and infant health. However, from a social perspective, carefully planned late-age motherhood offers certain optimistic prospects and may indicate a meaningful direction for addressing demographic challenges at the national level.
• Although data availability is improving, publicly accessible statistics on childbirth among women aged 45 and older remain insufficient. The United Nations provides relatively detailed aggregated age-group fertility data by country. Given the rapid fluctuations observed in the 45+ age category, year-by-year data would be more informative than broad age intervals.
• Analysis of the distribution of births across maternal age groups shows a marked acceleration in the proportion of births among women aged 45+ beginning in the mid-1990s. Conversely, the proportion of mothers aged 20–24 has sharply decreased. These trends underscore the need to reassess family policy, consider the establishment of an informational centre focused on extremely late childbirth, and strengthen guidance, monitoring, and healthcare provision for older women planning pregnancies.
• In Lithuania, delayed childbirth has become increasingly pronounced since the late twentieth century. The absolute number of births to women aged 45+ doubled between 2001 and 2024 (and quadrupled in urban areas). The pattern reveals a steady, stepwise increase by decade, with declines observed during economic crises and the COVID-19 pandemic. While the number of such births has clearly risen in urban areas since 2001, trends in rural areas remain inconsistent and fluctuating.
• When compared with Europe, Lithuania demonstrates a similar trajectory—an increasing share of extremely late births. However, at the end of the twentieth century, the proportion in Europe was already higher and rising more rapidly; only in recent years has the rate of increase in Lithuania become comparable. The global pattern differs: historically, extremely late births constituted a substantially larger share worldwide than in Europe or Lithuania, but in recent years the global share has been gradually declining and approaching European levels.
Keywords: Extremely late motherhood; childbirth; fertility; motherhood 45+; Lithuania; Europe; global trends.