WASHINGTON, Dec. 11 (UPI) -- It's the most wonderful time of the year. It's also the most fertile.
According to national birth data in the United States, September 16 is the most crowded day of the year for birthdays. Do the math.
That makes December 11 the most popular day of the year to conceived. The love is in the air. It's unfortunate that World Conception Day didn't fall on a Hump Day -- the calendar-makers apparently don't have a sense of humor.
But while December remains a popular month to conceive, birthrates overall continue to decline. According to new data from the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics, the U.S. general fertility rate hit an all-time low in 2013.
The CDC's new report included a number of other key findings. Cesarians are down slightly after a historic rise is popularity between 1996 and 2009. Preterm births were down in 2013, while more twins were born than in years prior. And with seemingly more and more women choosing a career over motherhood, birthrates among women in their 20s declined while birthrates for women age 35 and older rose.
"Rates for women aged 35 and over [are] at the highest levels seen in approximately 50 years," CDC officials confirmed.
The CDC compiled the report using data sourced from the Natality Data File from the National Vital Statistics System.
