Interesting article about having children later

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/07/how-long-can-you-wait-to-have-a-baby/309374/

It seems to say that 35 isn't that scary age and that research that says 35 is too late is outdated.

Thoughts?

Interesting article about having children later

I had my DS at 38 and will have #2 after 40 so nope don't think it's too late.

Interesting article about having children later

I know this is very unusual, but my best friend had her first (and only) at 47. They are both happy and healthy.

Message edited 6/30/2013 10:56:41 AM.

Re: Interesting article about having children later

Age never crossed my mind. I wasn't ready until 35 and there was no way I was going to have a baby before I was ready for one just because of some old school notion of a biological clock.
I got pregnant on the first try and had an uncomplicated pregnancy and text book delivery. My DD was perfect and healthy.
When I spoke with my OB about my age he said - there was no "magic" age where you suddenly wake up on your birthday and all your eggs are degraded. He said 35 is just an arbitrary number and it's actually kind of outdated.

I know some women who had their first at 40 and even later with no issues. And then there are women in their 20s who have complications, etc.

Re: Interesting article about having children later

This was definitely an interesting read. DH and I are both 27 and have been married for three years. Sometimes, I feel like if we don't try soon, we are going to be out of this "prime" time. I get scared and wonder if we should try sooner rather than later. However, in actuality, I really do not think we want to have children until we are around 34 or 35, so reading something like this is comforting in a sense.

Interesting article about having children later

DH and I don't know if we want kids - ever - and we are both 32 now. If we have them, it definitely won't be until we are 35+. So this is good to read.

Re: Interesting article about having children later

It's pretty normal in the world I live in. I know many people who had their firsts after 35 or at least 2nd or 3rd after 35. I don't see the big deal at all.

Re: Interesting article about having children later

The part about having never been pregnant , never having an oops and those people having fertility problems makes a lot of sense. Interesting read.

Re: Interesting article about having children later

27 years ago my aunt had her first baby at 41 and her second at 44. So that clock has never really bothered me!

Re: Interesting article about having children later

I had my first at 35 and second at 37. I got pregnant easily and had no complications.

I know women who were afraid od having kids after 35 though, but I never was worried.

Interesting article about having children later

I think it is so much more normal to have kids later now. I had my first this year at 32 (turned 33 two weeks later). I want to have my second (and last) three years from now but we'll see how that goes. I'm not worried about age.

Interesting article about having children later

We've been planning on trying when I turn 30, mainly because I was worried about waiting any longer, but at the same time we're not entirely certain that we'll be ready in 2 years. I'd never heard about using such outdated data... very interesting..

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I will be 38 when I have my twins. I think everyone is different. There are 20 year olds with fertility issues and there are very fertile 40 year olds.

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My friend who is a doctor has been telling me about this 35 is not the end all to be all number for years. She just had her first baby at 36.

Supposedly, the study that says 35 is the magic number so to speak is a decades old study.

Re: Interesting article about having children later

This is my thought on it...

It is certainly possible to have kids after 35 and even after 40. However, it is 100% proven that for women, fertility takes a sharp decline in our 30's, more specifically after 35 and even bigger decline after 40.

I really am interested in working at a fertility clinic as a nurse once nursing school is over. I think everyone deserves a chance at having a family. But statistics are pretty accurate. I just think that if possible, women shouldn't put off having babies till 40 because of career or just "waiting". Of course its different if someone isn't married until later and they don't have much of a choice. But to push it off because they think it'll be easy or similar to trying at 30 isn't wise. Fertility definitely take a big dive by 40 and egg quality also suffers. Women do get pregnant naturally all the time after 40, but I don't think women should count on that when deciding for themselves.

Re: Interesting article about having children later

Re: Interesting article about having children later

My aunt had her first at 40 and her second less than a year ago at 43.

Re: Interesting article about having children later

Re: Interesting article about having children later

I didn't read the article but if you look at the SART stats, after 42 it's dismal with your own eggs.

Many people who are over 43-44 have had babies using other methods and may not tell anyone how they did it.

It's a fact that fertility takes a huge decline after age 40 for most women.

I also think that pregnancy for women after 40 is harder on the body in general.

For someone to say that my aunt, cousin, or friend had their first at age 47+ and had no issues so I'm not worried about my fertility is just in denial and uneducated.

My own gyn when I was 37 told me to just let him know when I was ready and we would take it from there. He should have told me not to wait too long. He was not a fertility doctor although he was a good ob/gyn.

I was 40 when I started trying naturally. then IVF for 3 years. Two miscarriages. Unfortunately, I fell right into those dismal stats.

Re: Interesting article about having children later

While this article does give me some hope i feel like I am an example of conceiving later in life. I had my DD at 34 - she was conceived on our honeymoon - no trying or planning there...I had our DS three years later - this time I did use OPKs for about 2 months and we got pregnant the second month again no issue...2 years later I was 39 and we conceived really easily but it resulted in a devastating miscarriage and since then we have conceived two more times and both times ended up in miscarriages

I am 41 and I still long for my third child. I am not done. I dont feel done but I think my body is. I mean three consecutive miscarriages is a bit of a sign. BUt not to end on a downer I do have a friend who is 42 and gave birth to her second child last month after experiencing three miscarriages.

SO the moral of my story is that it may be possible in your 40's but its a hell of a lot harder for some / most most plus the chances of chromosome disorders increases too.

nm

Message edited 7/1/2013 11:18:04 AM.

Re: Interesting article about having children later

had my first at 36. took clomid and had a iui but that's because i didn't want to try for over a year without the help of an re.
at 37 im prego with #2 with no help. most of the women in my family had zero problems getting prego after 35.

Re: Interesting article about having children later

I think fertility is a continuum. There are people who can easily get pregnant at 45 and women who have trouble at 30. The problem is that you do not know which end of the continuum you ar going to fall in until you start trying. The younger you are you have more years to try and to exhaust those options. If you start trying at 38 and have difficulties then at that point time is not on your side.

Unfortunately, not everyone has the option due to later marriage etc. however, to the extent that someone is happily married and knows they want kids they shouldn't necessarily wait and bank on not having an issue later.

My grandmother had my uncle at 43 almost 50 years ago. However, my mom started early menopause at 43.

Interesting article about having children later

I found this article very interesting. I think that having kids later in life is the new norm. I was 29 when I had DS and a lot of people seemed to think that was actually young for me to be having a baby so it just goes to show you how much times have changed.

For me personally, I would prefer if I had all of my children by 35-36 though. Early menopause runs in my family so that is always a concern of mine. If I did not have that hanging over my head however, I would have no issues with having a baby later in life.

Interesting article about having children later

I had my DD at 37 and DS at 42. Both were healthy and conceived at first try with out any aids. When I went to NY Hospital to have my first one I was sure I was going to be the "geriatric" mother but that was not the case. Most of the women were in their thirties and forties. I was the norm.

My sister also had a child at 42 and sadly her daughter, my niece, was born with Down Syndrome, Autism and is a bi-polar Schizophrenic. She also has heart problems and other health issues. My sister was told that her egg was old. Her marriage broke up under the stress and she has been caring for and raising the child on her own.

As Beachgirl said : "SO the moral of my story is that it may be possible in your 40's but its a hell of a lot harder for some / most most plus the chances of chromosome disorders increases too."