There is no right age to have a baby that works for everyone. Women are typically able to have children from adolescence through menopause, while males may remain fertile well into their 60s or 70s.
Economic issues, lengthy educational careers, and personal preference now mean that for many people, the time when they are the most fertile may no longer be the best or most practical time for them to have a baby.
People in industrialized nations are waiting longer to have children than they once did.
A 2017 study found that the average age of the father of a newborn in 2015 was 30.9, compared to 27.4 in 1972. According to the National Center for Health StatisticsTrusted Source, 2016 saw a higher birth rate for women aged 30–34 than for women aged 25–29. This occurred for the first time since 1940 when these data became available.
Economic factors play a significant role in a person’s decision to have a baby. Some public health experts have suggested that the recession may have led to a “baby bust.”
Biological, psychological, and financial factors may influence a person’s decision about if and when to have a baby.
Fertility begins in adolescence when a teenager enters puberty, and then steadily increases for several years. Typically, the 20s mark a time of high fertility for both males and females.
According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, females experience a slight reduction in fertility in their early 30s, and this will decrease significantly between the ages of 35 and 45. A healthy 30-year-old has about a 20% chance of pregnancy each month. By age 40, that figure reduces to less than 5% per cycle.
There is no set age-related limit on male fertility, though sperm quality declines slightly as a male age. By the time a male is in his 60s, a reduction in the number and quality of sperm might make it more difficult to conceive.
Age is not the only factor that may affect a person’s ability to conceive. Around 12–13% of couples in the U.S. have problems becoming pregnant, regardless of age.
Individual health — including conditions such as polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and endometriosis that may affect fertility — is just as important as typical age-related fertility patterns.