Planning for Pregnancy: Age as a Factor

Having a baby is a joyful experience that changes your life forever. But before the excitement comes planning and preparation. While some are surprised, many create a checklist to ensure that they’re ready.

The Biological Clock You Might Be Ignoring

One crucial factor often overlooked in family planning is a woman’s biological readiness. You might think your body is prepared because of menstruation, but age matters.

Our society prioritizes career exploration and personal growth in your 20s. This can be great, but it can also lead to delaying family plans until your 30s. Then, beyond the challenge of finding a partner who’s on the same page, you’re likely to face infertility issues followed by pregnancy complications.

Financial Hurdles for Millennials

For me, having a family by 30 was the goal. But economic realities made it difficult. We (millennials) face inflation, high housing costs, and expensive childcare (so many obstacles!). Compared to our parents, achieving financial stability takes much longer.

In the end, completing my family before age 30 just wasn’t feasible. However, I am glad we started saving and planning early so that we could be where we are now. At 30, we have a home, one child, and are starting plans for another.

Pregnancy Risks After 30

We are not the norm. Today, Movies and TV often portray couples starting their families in their mid-30s. This is just a reflection of reality; that the average age women are having babies keeps increasing. Modern medicine has supported this delay with fertility treatments, methods for identifying developmental problems, C-sections for difficult deliveries, and NICU units to care for those premature babies – born from complications. These advancements are amazing, but have they made us complacent about the pregnancy risks that come with older age?

Pregnancy can be dangerous. A close friend of mine recently had a traumatic delivery that endangered both her and her baby. Thankfully, they both made it through healthy – but that isn’t always the case.

Women have a limited number of eggs and, for whatever reason, periods have been starting at a younger and younger age. In so many ways, we are not ready to start having children when puberty hits – but regardless, our biological clock has started ticking. By 30, our peak reproductive years are over. At this point conception can be challenging, and many other risks have only increased with our age: miscarriage, birth defects, developmental delays, and even childbirth mortality. Yet, many women still choose to wait until their 30s to begin exploring family planning.

Plan for Your Future Family

Considering your age in family planning might not seem as important as finances or health. But fertility declines with age – impacting conception, pregnancy, and delivery. With all the other aspects of family planning, we have some control – but time is finite and beyond us. So I urge you to consider your biological clock and plan accordingly. — That said, don’t feel pressured to start a family solely because of your age. There are other ways to have children, and many waiting for loving homes.

If starting a family is important to you, don’t wait too long! Having a baby is a life-changing experience you don’t want to miss.