35, Best Age To Get Pregnant: Study

Having a baby is a big decision, irrespective of your age. After the baby is born, pretty much every parent goes through the same set of problems or experiences similar joy of rearing a child. But debates have often raged about the best time to have a child.  A study says that the best time for a woman to have a baby is when they are in their 30s and 40s.

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The study in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society reveals that women who give birth in their 30s and 40s are more determined and feel safer and secure as well. This is also reflected in their relationships and career. The study concluded that giving birth at the age of 35 improves the mental abilities of the mother.

The research tested 830 post-menopausal women and under certain parameters like visual perception, verbal memory, attention and concentration. The results proved that the women who had their first baby between the age of 15 and 24 lagged behind the women who had their first baby after the age of 24. Furthermore, the research showed that the women who gave birth after the age of 35 had better mental abilities -- verbal memory and cognition.

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The study states that the surge of hormones in a pregnant woman has a beneficial impact on the brain's chemistry. This is even truer if the last pregnancy has taken place after the age of 35.

But Doctor Sudha Prasad, Head of Gynaecology Department of Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital, disagrees with the study's findings.

"After 35, the chances of aneuploidy chromosomal abnormality are too high so we always prefer the age to be below 35. And the mental ability of the mother is fine, the mother may become more mature but the chances of foetal abnormalities are more. So, it is important to weigh in between, whether you want the mother's intellectual or baby's chromosomal normality. So it is advised to have a baby before 35," she tells SheThePeople.TV.

Looks like the jury is still out on this one.

Feature Image Credit: Animals.mom.me

Read More Stories by Vidhya Bharathi