Know about your 'fertility window'? Do you think women need to be reminded?
HelenMFM
admin
Hello
We've just been details of a new report on women and fertility by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) – and we'd love to hear your views on it.
One of the key findings of the report is that, contrary what many politicians and advisers are saying, we women are all too well aware of our 'reproductive window' and know full well that waiting till you're over 30 to try for a baby increases our risk of not being able to get pregnant.
In fact, say the BPAS, all the scary talk about the 'fertility timebomb' of postponing motherhood is actually making younger women in their 20s (who are actually at their most fertile) worry that they're 'running out of time' to be a mum.
So we want to ask you what you think.
Do you think there are too many warnings about the risks of missing out on motherhood by leaving it too late to have a baby?
Or do you think we need to be reminded that our fertility declines as we get older?
And do you think women really are putting off having babies because they're not aware of the 'fertility timebomb' or do you think they may be other reasons (like not having found a partner yet)?
Please do let us know what you think by adding a post to this thread. We'd love to hear your views on this one.
Replies
I know that my fertility declines with age. But I didn't have a baby in my 20s cos I hadn't found anyone who was right or ready to have kids with me. It took me till I was 31 to find the right person. And I think I was worth the risk to wait.
I don't think anyone needs reminding their fertility drops the older they get. You have your whole family going on at you about your biological clock and stuff! I had kids at an older age than I always thought I would but I wanted to make sure I had some savings and a proper home first, and all that takes time.
I think all of us are aware of that, we don't need reminding. Each has a reason why they wait longer to have a baby. Some wait for the right person, others for financial stability. My sister in law has a list with places she wants to visit before she has a baby 😊
Even if I wanted to forget about my fertile time, my body wouldn't let me! I knew full well when the right time of the month was just by changes in my body! Lol.
I think as time has gone on, its taking people longer to settle down. So many more women want to focus on careers and things in their 20s, which is absolutely fine, nothing wrong at all with that. It just makes the whole settling down happen a bit later in life.
I don't think we need to have the 'your biological clock is ticking' story rammed down our throats all the time, as most ladies know that they can't pop babies out after a certain age. A lot of ladies in my family have been older Mums and have had a perfectly happy and healthy pregnancy and baby! As they say with pregnancy and labour - each person is different, I think its the same with having an actual baby - each person is different.
I certainly don't think we need to be reminded of it all the time!
One thing I will say is I was worried that this time round (currently 32+5 with baby number 2 - I have baby number 1 at 27) that I would struggle to conceive (I am 30) purely because my Mum went through the menopause very early, in her early 30s and I know that you generally follow your mothers pattern when it comes to that. However, I only knew this from my Mum as that was what she was told by the doctor - I don't think this is something that ladies usually need to consider, but is definitely worth knowing more about.