AIBU to think 33 is not too late to start TTC?

[Anxietiess]

To think 33, nearly 34 isn't too late to start TTC 1st baby?

Just looking for reassurance here. I've only just started feeling ready and wanting to have a child. We have a once in a lifetime holiday booked for early next year, so thinking of TTC after this. AIBU to think I've plenty of time? No medical conditions, fit and well, ovulating normally as far as I can tell.

I had my first at 33 and second at 36. Definitely not too old.

Enjoy your active campaign!

If you were asking, I'd say stop your contraceptive a month before your holiday and also don't limit yourself regarding 'ovulation' b/c that can happen at different times per month for different ladies.

Well i didnt meet my dh untill i was 31 we got married and had our first child when i was 33t this is anecdotal but i always thought i would have problems conceiving as i had a very irregular cycle i could go six months without a period we conceived Ds1 5 weeks after i came off the pill
Ds2 took longer 12 months and he was born when i was 36.

took me 3 months at 33.

I had DS at 36 and twin DD's just 16 months later. Got pregnant first month trying both times as well.

Odds are you'll be absolutely fine.

Recent figures are that 29.6 is the average age of UK women having babies (ONS), so 33 is 'quite' late but not very late.

Completely the norm here - from NCT to toddlers group to school gates, most mums don't start until their mid 30s.

TTC in your early 20s is no guarantee that you will get pregnant quickly either!

Check your cycle precisely if you want to avoid wasting time as much as you can, but mid 30s is a perfectly normal age for a first child.

Average age for first time mothers is about 30, and 32 in London, so you won’t be old. I met my DH at 39 so didn’t start trying until 40! Had one baby at 41 second at 43. They are now 21 and 22!

I started TTC at 33, almost 34. I wasn't lucky and had to have fertility treatment, not age related, however I still had my DD at 37 and am now expecting a second at 40.

The fact I need treatment is nothing to do with age but is something I had no idea about until I started TTC and it wasn't working.

Not at all too late. I had my first a month short of 33 - took a while to get pregnant because of the copper coil, then once I had a normal cycle back it was second cycle and done. I had my second just shy of 35, got pregnant first time of trying.

I was similar to you, but I'd still start at the same age if I had to go back. For me my 20s had to be career, marriage, travel.

Nah, infertility can hit at any age and for many different reasons.

I fell with my first at 24 whilst on the pill, then struggled with 14 years of losses and unexplained infertility.

I'm now 38 and 32 weeks pregnant after being told it would never happen so I wouldn't say 33 is too late at all.

You could pay for some tests and have an idea of your fsh and amh

I agree - I wasn’t ready in my 20’s

and as now an older mum to some , I’m also financially secure with a house and a job /career that earns me well

just as well as now also a single parent

obv I wanted to be younger but Mother Nature had other ideas

29.6 is a mathematical average not a definititive judgement on the lateness or otherwise of any age to have a child

Correct that it's later than average but so what? Unless we all had children at the same age all but a few will be earlier or later than average, it's not a target

That's a bit like saying the average UK woman who likes white roses is 29.6 years old and then treating that as medically significant. It's an interesting statistic, but it tells us nothing about fertility.

The average age at which women choose to have children is influenced by social, economic, educational and personal factors. It doesn't determine a woman's biological ability to conceive. Fertility is affected by age, but the average age at which women decide to start a family is a completely separate issue.

There are things you can do to lay the groundwork before actively trying, that might be helpful. A good multi vitamin with folic acid is supposed to help. You don’t mention if you’re on the pill? My cycles took a long time to settle down after stopping it, about a year, and you really won’t know if you have an underlying issue if you’re on it - things can seem normal when they aren’t. If I had my time again I would have stopped the pill sooner, as I did then end up having trouble conceiving and the artificially timed periods from being on it had lulled me into a false sense of security that my body was ready when it wasn’t.

Mid thirties it is harder to conceive than mid twenties, unfortunately. I have friends who were lucky in the end like me and friends who were not. You have to be trying for a certain length of time, usually at least a year, before you can access help through your GP, so bear that in mind for your decisions too. Might it be a lovely thing to be pregnant on your holiday of a lifetime? If it’s not in the remote rainforest you would be perfectly safe and many women have done similar.

i would say this is average ? I started ttc at 34. I wanted to have certain things done in my career first. Had my first son at 35, second son at 39 and 3rd son the week I turned 44 ! All very easy to conceive but everyone is different. my sister started ttc at 35 and ended up needing ivf because of male factors.

Before contraception women routinely had babies right into their forties. My dad’s mum had him as a surprise baby at 45 - he’s 80 now and overall body health etc was much worse etc in terms of lifespan, trying to conceive.

Advanced maternal age is 35 in medical terms, but my OB said that is fairly outdated these days. Hi are still under that

33 is absolutely fine. Most mums in my baby group were in their 30’s. They will be relatively independent by the time you hit 50 - able to start driving etc.

It's all just personal preference isn't it. I had my first baby at 21, my sister had her first baby at 34.

I somtimes wish I'd had my children when I was older, only because I have so much more life knowledge now than I did then, but, I'm in poor health now and my body wouldn't survive a pregnancy so it's a good thing I did have them young 😅

Incase the op has trouble conceiving. It can happen to anyone. If you’re younger you have more time and IVF perhaps has a cut off point on the NHS.

Not too late - i was 34 and only 3 of my friends had children around the same age. People in my antenatal class ranged from early 30s-40s

no way, I married at 33 and started ttc seriously at 34. Had babies at nearly 36 and 38.
took a while to get pg the first time but no time at all the second

Nobody can tell. Got pregnant immediately in mid 20s, tried again early 30s and it took years

Definitely not! You’re young yet! You’ve a good decade and a bit!