Most Women Said That They Waited Too Long

Most Women Waited Too Long; Not Good Habits: A poll of 2,000 women in the UK by Pregnancy & Birth magazine (9/05) found 68% drink alcohol and four in 10 smoke while trying for a baby. Only 44% hoping to conceive said they tried to eat a healthy diet. Most of the women surveyed were readers of the magazine and were either pregnant or trying to conceive. The average age of those who responded was 29. While trying to conceive, 20% admitted they drank "far too much". Of the 49% who were smokers, only 26% gave up the habit. Of the 47% of male partners who smoked, only 23% gave up.

A third of the women and their male partners trying to conceive were overweight, according to the responses. Three out of 10 couples trying to conceive reported taking recreational drugs. The research also found that 70% of those questioned believed that had waited too long to have children, with most stating 26 as the "ideal age" for a first child.

The reasons women gave for delaying having a baby included not feel ready, not having met the right man or wanting to establish their careers before having a child. Many said it had never occurred to them that they might have problems conceiving.

One in seven couples in the UK today already have fertility problems caused by a combination of factors - women delaying motherhood, an increase in sexually transmitted diseases, a huge increase in obesity which can interfere with ovulation and a possible decline in male fertility.

Infertility to Double; Europe's Future Threatened; Women Wait Too Long

One in seven European couples now has trouble conceiving naturally, but Professor Bill Ledger from Sheffield University warned this could rise to one in three. He told a European fertility conference in Copenhagen that women should be offered career breaks so they could have children younger, when they are more fertile. Obesity and sex infections were also increasing infertility. Chlamydia has doubled over the last decade and it a cause of infertility.

A potential rise in male infertility could also affect couples. Both the quality and quantity of sperm appeared to be in decline. Inflexible working hours and financial and career aspirations mean many women are putting off having a family until they are in their late 30s and early 40s.

Ledger warned, "The sustainability of the population of Europe is at risk because there are too few children being born. It is a threat to the future." Scandinavia, introducing policies to encourage women to have children earlier. He suggested the UK also follow the lead of France by introducing tax relief and giving greater support to women who want to take career breaks to start a family.

Dr Allan Pacey, of the British Fertility Society, said: "Nature designed women to have children in their late teens and early twenties, and many women are now waiting until they are over 35. "The message has to be driven home that the sooner you do it, the more likely it is you will be able to conceive without medical assistance.... Having a family when you are younger is always a good plan." BBC News Copenhagen, 6/20/05.