Is 33 too old?

Noooo, not too old! All the best.

I wouldn't leave it waaaaay too much longer though. 38-39 would be the top end for me, and 33 is not too old.

Don't pay any attention to the 'you've got plenty of time, women have them at 50' posters though. The average age for a first time mum is 30-31. Most women will have their first in the 20s or 30s, and very few will have ANY babies after 40. Only in the parallel world of mumsnet!

In the real world, it is extremely unlikely for a woman to have a natural conception at 49-50 or older. And even if she does, it will likely be fraught with problems and issues.

I didn't meet my DH til I was 34. Now have DS 1 and 2 who are 8 and 10.

For real?

You think it’s utter rubbish that the vast majority of women can’t get pregnant at 50 naturally? You’re telling me that it’s common?

Oh and it’s not ‘my’ time scale that most women can’t naturally get pregnant at 50, it’s a scientific fact.

Utter rubbish! Two of my family members had babies at 50. Big shock, not planned, both happy healthy babies and now well adjusted young adults.

i was 35 when I conceived my son, 36 nearly 37 when I had my daughter. TTC doesn’t work on your timescale. It’s not predictable. Pregnancy and child birth aren’t predictable. 1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage, stillbirth and neonatal death. And before the MN mafia jump on me, I’m 1 in 4, we lost our son to stillbirth. If you want kids, are financially stable and happy, just get on with trying 👍🏻

I was 34 when I had my 3rd child but I wouldn't have wanted to be that age having my first. I have conceived within a month each time but whilst many people do conceive within a year others don't. You don't know which category you will be in or how long it will take and you might well change your mind about just wanting one. It's up to you but I knew I wanted more children (if possible) and so started sooner.

You say you're pretty sure you both want just one child. I guess one or both of you might change your mind(s), but if you don't and you're happy to stop at one, i don't see as big an issue with waiting. There is still a risk though. It might all work out fine if you conceive quickly and it's a viable pregnancy. Of course there is a risk that it could take some time to conceive and/or you could have miscarriages. Most people I know managed to have a child in their late 20s and early 30s without any issues but I do know of couples who struggled, one couple that needed fertility treatment, another couple that tried for a long time and had miscarriages before finally having their baby, both couples younger than you are now.

I guess it depends just how important it is to you to have a child full stop v having a child at the perfect time. Obviously you've been through a lot and it's understandable to want a lovely holiday before you start trying. But I would book the holiday now and plan to try afterwards, if I were you.

Yet another bloody thread on this!!!

No, you are not too old.

Only you can decide but nearly everyone I know had their kids in their late 30s or early 40s. My colleague conceived with no issues at 46!

Absolutely not too old but I think you will have read mix of views on here. Those who conceived with relative ease seem to be saying yes, it will wait and those who struggled are saying no, dont wait.
Basically the answer to your question is no, not too old but beware nature's effects on fertility as your age goes up.

Following from the above re older parents, my mum was 34 when she had me in 1988, that was considered very old at the time. I was only aware my mum was older than my friends mums once we got older but it was never an issue. I never missed out on any physical activity with my mum and she didn’t have old fashioned views or anything like that. She’s 70 now and very fit and active and will be looking after my daughter a few days a week when I go back to work.

I had my kids much later than the OP would - last one at 42 - and I don't do any of the things you've described. One difference my kids notice though is that we've taught them practical skills like turning up hems, cooking from scratch and fixing things where many of their mates have no fucking clue. I think we also did far less helicopter parenting than their friends had - not negligent but relaxed - and they've all turned into pretty chilled and competent adults.

33 is so young IME.

I had my first at 39 and my second at 42. Normal, healthy children and I seemed to have loads of energy when they were younger.

I was 36 with my first child and 38 with my second. Fell pregnant the first month with both!!

It's not too old, but in your position I would start trying now. It can take a long time to conceive and even longer to get to a place where you are carrying a healthy baby to term.

I am 34 and regret not trying sooner. In retrospect there's nothing in the past four years that was worth putting off trying for a baby for. Also starting earlier means less pressure (this is an individual thing - you might not feel any pressure at all). For me personally, it does feel a bit like a race against time.

Not too late but bear in mind it may not happen straightaway. We started trying when I was 34 and had ds1 at 38 and ds2 at 41. Good luck

I completely agree with this. Though apparently some women have babies at 50! 😂

I had my first at 34, second at 36, and now I'm 38 and pregnant again. My friends are all having babies at similar ages. Having said that, I do know several people (although about 5-8 years younger than me) who have had trouble conceiving. Fertility is a bit of a lottery and until you actually start trying you just don't know how it'll work out.

It's not too late, but as pregnancy lasts 40 weeks, it's common to take a year to conceive, and 1 in 4 pregnancies end in miscarriage, then if you start trying at 33 then it's unlikely you'll actually have a baby at that age.

I started trying at 34 and am now resigning myself to being 37 at the earliest if/when I actually give birth. I wish we had started earlier, but hindsight and all that.

Fertility check is not a bad idea but in reality having eggs in stock doesn't mean the quality of them is any good, same goes for sperm to a lesser extent. You really don't know until you try....

😂😆

🤣

Having kids is tough! Enjoy your holidays whilst you can. I had my first just after my 28th birthday and had twins when 30. I'm now 31 and have 8 month old twins and a 3 year old. We did lots of travel beforehand so I don't feel I've missed out at all, but I think it's better to wait until you're both completely ready

Had my first at 35 and hoping to have a second at 37 :)

Had mine naturally at 39, 40, 43 and 46. I know I'm an outlier. Have a fertility check so you have all the info. If you definitely want them, don't wait, there are no guarantees.

My grandmother was around 40 when she had my mum, my mum was 35 when she had me - I was 36 and 41 when I had my sons. We take our time.....