Fruit fly ‘Traffic Jam’ gene discovery could unlock human infertility solutions

The global birthrate has been in significant decline for decades. In the U.S., couples are deciding to have children later in life. A 2022 U.S. Census data analysis of Census Bureau and National Center for Health Statistics data reveals that fertility rates for women aged 20–24 declined by 43% during the period from 1990 to 2013. But the number of women aged 35–39 giving birth increased by 67%, and for women between 40 and 44, that increase was nearly 139%.