Women with a certain socio-cultural and economic standard usually delay the moment of having children. The trend nowadays is to have fewer children and to postpone maternity.

Before becoming a mother, women want to finish their studies, find a stable job, a loving partner, and an affordable flat. These aren’t easy to attain, and once finally achieved, women evaluate whether having a child will destabilize it all. More specifically, they question whether they can juggle with both being a mother and having a full time job, or losing potential prospects in their professional career, or if they will have any free time, etc…

And yet, even considering all the above and being aware of what it would imply, we decide that it is worth it and that having a child is much more important.

The typical profile is: 

Very excited 30-35 year old women, with a daily intake of folic acid and a calendar, and with the decision to quit any intake of contraceptives, hoping to fall pregnant that same month.

…Well…

A year later, only half of these women achieve pregnancy and one of every five will only achieve it through medical assistance.

After the first year, already 50% of them fear and hate getting their period, their partner starts to feel that they are only sexually attractive during ovulation, and feel that sex is an obligation. They don’t now whether to attend a sterility centre or wait, because they still have the hope of achieving it “naturally”.

The rate of monthly fertility amongst young couples who have regular intercourse is 20% per month; in couples who are 40 the rate is only 5% per month.

The ideal biological age to have children is from ages 20 to 30, and nowadays, on average, people are having them at 30-40 or more.

What are your thoughts on these matters? Do you think we should start thinking about having children earlier? Or must we accept the medical consequences of delaying parenthood?