Is the main stream really encouraging women to wait until their late 30s to have their first children? I keep hearing this in threads this week. Maybe I’m old and grew up differently. But in the west most sexually active women have regular OB/GYN type exams from young adulthood onwards, as well as mothers, female friends and other female relatives talking about family planning constantly. Plus there is loads of info on the Internet and countless books about optimal ages for childbearing. Basically, all of my life I’ve been informed of The most ideal ages to start having children by both professionals and by women in my life. And I’ve never once heard anyone encourage late 30s for the first.

However, it’s too late for me to have kids and I haven’t been paying attention to prenatal trends the last five years. Have they changed? I just went to my OB/GYN in December so I’m not gonna see her for a while. Is it now significantly safer to have your first kid after age 35 to where it’s being main stream recommended? I understand it’s possible and until a certain age the likelihood of birth defects are still less likely than a healthy birth. But are mainstream medical professionals encouraging this now?