Men should start a family before they age of 35 to avoid risk to their unborn babies, researchers claim. A study tracking 40million babies found the risk of birth complications start to increase when fathers are in their mid-30s, and significantly rise from the age of 45.
The average age men become fathers is 27.4. The average age women become mothers is 24, consistent with findings from the U.S. Census Bureau (2011). Men, on average, are three years older than women when they become parents. This gap has remained fairly stable over the past two decades.
Experts say the best time to get pregnant is between your late 20s and early 30s. This age range is associated with the best outcomes for both you and your baby. One study pinpointed the ideal age to give birth to a first child as 30.5. Your age is just one factor that should go into your decision to get pregnant.
Unlike women, who are born with a finite number of eggs, men continue to produce sperm throughout their life, and some can father children into their 60s and beyond — an age where women's clocks have totally stopped ticking.
Another study that evaluated the relationship between age and semen parameters also concluded that male fertility decline begins at 35, and suggested that male fertility peaks between 30 and 35.
There's no expiration date on when guys can father a child. Case in point: Rocker Mick Jagger just had his eighth child at the age of 73. Since men don't hit menopause—the time in a woman's life where her fertility ends—they can typically continue to father children into their later years.
But many first-time parents find that after the first month of parenthood, it can actually get more difficult. This surprising truth is one reason many experts refer to a baby's first three months of life as the “fourth trimester.” If months two, three, and beyond are tougher than you expected, you're not alone.
If born before week 37, your baby is considered a “preterm” or “premature” baby. If born before week 28, your baby is considered “extremely premature.” Babies born between weeks 20 to 25 have a very low chance of surviving without neurodevelopmental impairment.
Ages 31 to 35
In your early 30s, the chances you'll be able to have a baby are still high. You still have a lot of high-quality eggs to offer, but your odds will start to decline steadily at this age. Your fecundity rate decreases gradually until age 32. At 37, it drops dramatically.
Although most men are able to have children well into their 50s and beyond, it becomes gradually more difficult after the age of 40 . There are many reasons for this, including: Sperm quality tends to decrease with age.
If you need a little reassurance that it's not too late, consider this: Twice as many dads of newborns are now in the 40-plus age group, compared to the 1970s. Of the roughly 4 million births each year in the U.S., about 9 percent of fathers are over 40.
Men's age and fertility
Male fertility generally starts to reduce around age 40 to 45 years when sperm quality decreases. Increasing male age reduces the overall chances of pregnancy and increases time to pregnancy (the number of menstrual cycles it takes to become pregnant) and the risk of miscarriage and fetal death.
Women who become pregnant in their 30s and early 40s can have safe, healthy pregnancies, says Ellie Ragsdale, MD, director of fetal intervention at UH Cleveland Medical Center.
Older women are more likely to have a baby with a chromosome disorder such as Down syndrome. If you are age 25, the chance of Down syndrome is about 1 in 1,250. If you are age 35, the risk increases to 1 in 400. By age 45, it is 1 in 30.
On average, a woman in her 30s has a 15 to 20 percent chance of getting pregnant each month. Fertility gradually declines throughout the decade, especially after age 35.
Perhaps the most significant benefits to starting a family young are the greater chances of conception — and lowered risk of miscarriage, pregnancy complications, gestational diabetes and birth defects — compared to older-than-average mums.
Age of moms: According to pre-pandemic data, the average age of first time mothers in the US is 26, though it is on the rise among women from multiple socioeconomic groups [LINK].
Time to Have a Kid. If they do have kids, married people usually have their first one during the first six years of marriage.
These findings may seem surprising if you've never had an 8-year-old, but there are some reasons a child's eighth year can be especially challenging from a parent's perspective. Eight-year-olds can be stubborn, slamming doors and rolling their eyes, in their attempts to establish their independence and individuality.
These babies born to older fathers had increased birth risks such as seizures, low birth weight and need for ventilation immediately after birth. And “advanced paternal age” is not as old as you may think. Men older than 35 are considered to be of advanced paternal age.
After age 35, there's a higher risk of pregnancy-related complications that might lead to a C-section delivery. The risk of chromosomal conditions is higher. Babies born to older mothers have a higher risk of certain chromosomal conditions, such as Down syndrome. The risk of pregnancy loss is higher.
Rest assured, most healthy women who get pregnant after age 35 and even into their 40s have healthy babies.
Women in their 20s have a much higher chance of getting pregnant, for example, and a lower risk of conditions like gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and high blood pressure. Studies suggest that women who wait until their 30s to give birth may be healthier later in life, live longer, and earn more income.
Falling fertility: A woman's ability to get pregnant begins to decrease slightly at age 27, and then decreases significantly after the age of 37. The average healthy couple under the age of 30 has about 95% of conceiving within a year. Once you're over 30, the chance of getting pregnant decreases by about 3% each year.
Various reputable sources of medical information, such as WebMd, state that the prior births do not “reset” a woman's fertility,asserting that the notion is a myth.