When to have a baby? What you need to know about family planning

Nowadays, many people, especially young couples, are putting off starting a family for a while due to their education, career advancement , etc. We often hear ideas like "Let's wait a few more years," "Let's enjoy life a little longer," "Let's think about having a baby after we're settled." There's nothing wrong with this. However, there are some biological factors that we should definitely be aware of when making this decision. Let's talk about them today.

Is it too late to have a baby? Does age really matter?

This is the biggest question that many people have. The short answer is, yes, age is a very important factor, especially for women.

Imagine this scenario. Sandamali was a nurse who worked in fertility clinics. She never thought that having a child of her own would be a problem. Because she and her husband were busy with their jobs, they decided to try to have a child in their mid-30s. But after months of trying, Sandamali was unable to conceive. Finally, a specialist told them something they had never expected. That was that the quality of her eggs had decreased with age, making it difficult for her to conceive.

Then, at the age of 37, they tried in vitro fertilization (IVF) . Although Sandamali was able to conceive, she miscarried due to poor egg quality. Finally, rather than continue trying and suffering from miscarriages and becoming depressed, they decided to go for another option. Today, they are happily married with two adorable adopted sons.

According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, two-thirds of women may lose the ability to conceive naturally by the age of 40. The main reason for this is a decrease in egg quality and changes in the function of the ovaries.

Even obstetricians and gynecologists say that they are very worried about women who come to them at the age of 38, 39 and say, "We are going to have a baby in about two years." Because they are unknowingly playing with a big risk. Even if ovulation occurs normally, the quality of those eggs is poor, so the chances of conception not occurring or miscarriage are very high.

Unfortunately, there is no medical test that can tell you exactly "How long do I have left?" So, doctors say that the biologically optimal time to have children is in your 20s .

What are the modern birth control options?

When planning a family, there are many effective birth control methods available today, both for those who want to delay having children and for those who want to space their children out. It's best to talk to your doctor about these and choose the method that's best for you. Here are some of the popular options available today.

Does the spacing between children and family size matter?

This is also something that many parents think about. How many children to have and how to space them is a decision that varies from family to family.

The gap between children

Child psychologists say that a gap of 3 to 3 1/2 years is ideal between two children.

• The reason? A 2-year-old child often feels dependent and insecure on their parents. At such a time, the arrival of a new baby into the family can create competition and jealousy in the older child.
• But by the age of 3, children have a certain level of understanding. They become more accustomed to sharing their parents' love and attention with someone else.

From a medical perspective, a study by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that a period of 18 to 23 months between the birth of one child and the conception of the next is most beneficial for the health of the newborn. Children conceived during this time interval are less likely to be born with low birth weight and to be born prematurely.

Finally, many women today are giving up on trying to be a "supermom" and are trying to live a happy life and put their family first. They have realized the value of living a balanced life rather than trying to do everything at once and exhausting themselves and their families.