Pregnancy: Is there an ideal age to give birth?

Women have their first kid between the ages of adolescence and mid-forties. According to a recent study, people who fall on either end of the spectrum are more prone to have potentially fatal health issues. According to The Sun, an analysis conducted by the University of Seoul divided women into three categories: under 23 years old, 24 to 25 and above 26 years old. According to this study, the ideal age for childbirth was revealed to be 25. However, it may not be accurate as the age group below 26 was not studied due to a lack of data.

Individual experience

Modern medicines have evolved tremendously to provide women with the facility to give birth at any time they want. And while research may describe a time frame for childbirth, the pregnancy experience for every woman is as unique as it gets. The average reproductive period of a woman’s life ranges from the ages of 12 and 51. However, as women grow older, their fertility naturally falls, making it challenging to conceive. Thus, the age range between the late twenties and early thirties has been linked to giving the best results for both mother and the child.

According to another study, the ideal age for having the first kid is 30.5 years old, which is also the average age of a first-time mum in the UK. However, the perfect age has a lot more to do with a woman’s lifestyle and experiences. Factors like smoking, cancer treatments and pelvic infection may lessen your chances of becoming pregnant. Hence, early pregnancies are considered to be more appropriate but that may not always be the case.

Women are born with approximately 2 million eggs. Over time, the number of eggs you have decreases. Roughly 25,000 eggs are left by the time a woman is 37 and over 1,000 eggs remain by the age of 51. That’s still a hopeful scenario to conceive with the help of medical advancements, even during the later stages of life.

Never too late

There are several advantages to delaying starting a family. For instance, you'll have more time to save money, build your relationship, and ensure your child's financial security. Wisdom and tolerance can come with age. Furthermore, there is smattering evidence that children born to older parents reach higher educational levels.

It's possible that delaying pregnancy will benefit you as well. According to a study, women who had their child at the age of 40 or older had a decreased risk of uterine cancer. As such, the ideal time of pregnancy may actually be whenever you and your partner feel confident enough to have a baby.