It’s best to plan for a family at the earliest

CHENNAI: Unlike the older generation, young couples these days tend to delay childbirth and also planning a family due to various reasons.

The longer a couple of delays planning a family, the bigger the difficulty of achieving parenthood. A woman in her early to mid-20s has a high chance of pregnancy. Her fertility slowly starts to decline in her early 30s and speeds up after 35. Likewise, the quality of sperm men produce also declines as they age.

Women are born with all the eggs that they’re going to have. Once a woman reaches her 30s, the egg not only decreases in quantity but also in quality leading to difficulties in forming a healthy baby.

On the other hand, it is a general misconception that men can father children no matter how old they become. But research shows that their fertility clock is ticking too. Although it may be true that men can produce sperm throughout their life, the quality of the sperm that they produce starts to decline in the early 40’s, thus reducing their “fertilising capacity”.

Couples conceiving at an older age also have a higher risk of miscarriage. Apart from this, there is a higher chance of pre-term and c-section deliveries. Pregnancy at an advanced age also comes with various health issues like diabetes and high blood pressure.

Hence, it is advised to plan for a family at the earliest so that the mother’s and the baby’s health is not compromised. Couples can also opt for an IVF treatment but have to keep in mind that the quality of the sperm and egg influences the outcome. Fertility preservation, i.e., freezing the egg and sperm, could be a viable option for couples who wish to delay pregnancy without the fear of their biological clock ticking away.