Fertility: How Long Can You Wait To Have A Baby?

Every woman knows that she has a "biological clock" that is ticking away. They are told, from an early age, that they cannot delay having children for too long, which has put many women in the difficult position of having to choose between motherhood and a career. However, it now seems that women, particularly those who are in their early 30s, don't actually have to be as worried as they have been made to believe. So how long can you wait to have a baby?

Jean Twenge recently wrote in The Atlantic about her research of various medical databases. She specifically looked for studies on fertility. What she found was that the information that was available was correct at that time, but now outdated. For instance, in 2004, Human Reproduction published a study stating that, once women are between 35 and 39, one in three will still not be pregnant after a full year of trying to conceive. The basis for this were birth records in 1670 to 1830 in France.

Unfortunately, when a woman asks "how long can you wait to have a baby?", the answer will inevitably be based on those types of statistics. This is because there haven't been any properly designed, large scale study on the modern woman. In 2004, Obstetrics & Gynecology reported that 86% of 27 to 34 year old women would become pregnant, and 82% of those aged between 35 and 39.

At the same time, fertility specialists tell us that a woman's fertility peaks when she is in her 20s. The older the woman gets, the longer it will take her to fall pregnant, and the risk of aneuploidy and miscarriage would also be greater. However, even this information comes from old sources and from results of in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment.

So how long can you wait to have a baby? The reality is that nobody really knows. This is also because it is incredibly difficult to properly research this. Too many factors come into play, including the fact that most women choose to use birth control methods, and the fact that many women don't know exactly how long they tried before they became pregnant. Additionally, there is an insufficient number of women coming forward to volunteer for these types of studies.

All that being said, it is undeniably true that women become less fertile the older they get. The official suggestion by most experts is that a woman should no longer try to conceive after the age of 40. Nevertheless, even after 40, some women may become pregnant and have healthy, happy babies. What is more important is that a woman does all she can to maintain her fertility in a healthy way. This means consuming a healthy, balanced diet, getting plenty of exercise, avoiding drugs, cigarettes, and alcohol, practicing safe sex, and having regular PAP tests, particularly if they are sexually active. Other than that, it is a personal choice for a woman when she wants to get pregnant, and if she wants to get pregnant at all.