What?
That’s what the majority of Americans think according to an article reported in the Huffington Post.
Gallup polled 5,100 people on the ideal childbearing age, a whopping 58 percent of whom said that women should start having children at age 25 or younger. The “ideal” age for men to start reproducing was 27.
According to Gallup, views on the ideal childbearing age vary significantly depending on education level. More specifically, Americans who have completed college or gotten a graduate degree are more likely to believe women should wait until they are 26 or older to have children than those who did not finish or attend college.
The article editorialized: “While there are biological, time-sensitive realities that impact female fertility, the state of a woman’s reproductive parts — and when she plans to use them — are nobody’s business but hers. So here’s what we recommend: women who want children should have them whenever they like, when they are emotionally and financially ready to do so. And they should be able to do so without judgment or pressure.”
And that’s true but they must be mindful that there is a biological clock ticking. A discussion with the doctor can put this in perspective as we now have options available for women who wish to postpone childbearing, yet preserve their fertility.
Egg freezing is now a realistic option both for women wishing to postpone having their families and for those requiring medical treatments that can damage eggs such as radiation and chemotherapy.