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Conceiving in Your 20s, 30s & 40s

In Your 20s

In 20's
When Siobhan Bennett was pregnant with her two daughters during her mid 20s, she had an easy time of it, and she figured things would be the same when she was expecting her son at age 45. "No one sat me down to say, 'Look, your body's twenty years older now,'" says Bennett of Allentown, Pennsylvania. "I was far more fatigued this last time around -- the difference was night and day."
When you decide to have a baby is largely a function of where you are in life. Did you find a partner early or late? Are you planning a big family or a small one? Each age makes for a different experience. Although every woman is unique, the physical and emotional aspects of pregnancy are at least partly influenced by how old you are. Here's what you can expect.

In Your 30s: Gaining Maturity vs. Waning Fertility
Many women who've rounded the bend of 30 may feel they've made great strides professionally and personally, making them more emotionally prepared for pregnancy. "For me, being in my 30s became all about having a family," says Mary Lindewirth of Gillette, New Jersey. "I had a great job, my husband and I were fixing up a house that we had bought, and we took wonderful vacations -- but I knew that if we didn't have kids we'd look back someday and wonder what we had really achieved."

In Your 40s: Older, Yes, but Also Much Wiser
There's no getting around it: From a medical standpoint, this is the toughest decade for pregnancy. By now, you've run through your highest-quality eggs, making conception slower than ever. "You're left with those eggs that have not only taken the longest to respond to the body's cues for release, but they also don't function well during fertilization," says Dr. Berry. This further raises the risk of chromosomal abnormalities and miscarriage. Meanwhile, your menstrual cycle may grow increasingly irregular well before menopause, which also compromises fertility. (And otherwise health-conscious women in this age group may be slow to seek out prenatal care -- they often assume the skipped period that signals pregnancy is the first sign of menopause. "When my doctor gave me the news, he said, 'You're going through a change, but not the change you think,'" recalls Bennett.)
FOR MORE INFO VISIT http://www.parents.com/getting-pregnant/age/timing/conceiving-in-your-20s-30s-40s/