Delaying childbirth ‘defies nature’; can lead to complications

Leading obstetricians are warning that women who delay having children until late thirties and early forties risk conception and pregnancy problems, because they are ‘defying nature’.

The best age for pregnancy is between 20 and 35.

Men face similar problems with increasing age, including reduced sperm count.

Clare Brown, chief executive of Infertility Network UK, said “Delaying having children until you are in your thirties is a choice many people make but they need to be aware of the added problems when trying to conceive, particularly over the age of 35 when a woman’s natural fertility declines.

“When this is exacerbated by a further complication such as blocked tubes or low sperm count the chances of a successful pregnancy even using IVF are much less.”

Peter Bowen-Simpkins, of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said: “The biological clock is one thing we cannot reverse or change.

“The message that needs to go out is ‘don’t leave it too late’.”

Read the full article: Delaying babies ‘defies nature’ (BBC News)