For many parents planning the right time to have children is a difficult decision. In recent years, many women have opted to put off having kids until their late 20s and well into their 30s — sometimes focusing on building their careers before taking the leap into parenthood. Research shows that women who became mothers later in life (in their 30s) were more likely to live longer than those who gave birth in their teens and 20s, reports the Independent.
Read more: Artificial insemination ups chances of a healthy pregnancy
The choice to have children is extremely personal and of course there’s no wrong answer when it comes to being ready to be a mother (and father). But according to Dr Namita Gupta, gynaecologist, Pearl Healthcare, Mumbai, there is an ideal age when women’s bodies are best suited to pregnancy. Can you guess what it is?
We’ll give you a hint: It’s when many of us have a quarter-life crisis.
Yes. According to Dr Gupta, the ideal age to get pregnant is 25. “Fertility peaks from age 20 to 25 and begins to decrease at age 30,” Dr Gupta says.
Unfortunately, 25 is also the age when motherhood is low on many women’s list of priorities.
“Age 25 is exactly the time when today’s young women have finished their formal education, are trying to get off on a good career, trying to find someone they want to spend their life with,” Kolkata-based psychologist and parenting expert Polli Sengupta says.
Read more: Pregnancy in your 40s can increase risk of preterm birth
But Dr Gupta had some harsh words about fertility treatments being marketed as a viable option to women over 40. “The bleak reality is that the chance of IVF working with your own eggs once you are 40 is absolutely abysmal,” she says. While that may be Dr Gupta’s opinion, plenty of wannabe parents may be happy to take those chances.
It’s worth reiterating that there are so many factors that inform the choice to have kids and only you can decide when — and if — you want to become a mother (or father). Whether you choose to have kids at 20, 30, 40, or beyond; biologically, through a surrogate, or via adoption, always listen to your own body and make the decision that makes sense for your own life. You know what’s right for you.
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First Published: Aug 01, 2018 09:08 IST
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