Women who put off having a baby until later in life may have made the best decision for both themselves and their babies’ health. New research from an American study suggests that the optimal age to have a baby is now 34.

Professor John Mirowsky, from the University of Texas, studied more than 2200 women over several decades, looking at their own and their children’s health problems based on when their first child was born.

Women who fared worst were the ones who gave birth in puberty. Health problems began to fall off after this age with the benefits of late motherhood peaking at the age of 34. ‘At any age, a woman who had her first child at 34 is likely to be, in health terms, 14 years younger than a woman who gave birth at 18,’ said Professor Mirowsky. ‘[Women] are really concerned about when it is best to start a family. I hope this will be just one piece of information they can use in making decisions about their own lives.’

British fertility experts felt bound to point out that a women’s fertility is also in decline at the age of 35, so any women hoping to have a healthy future life and healthy baby would have to weigh that up against the chance of getting pregnant at all.

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