Benefits of Having a Baby After 35: Let's Talk Perks

Raise your hand if you’ve ever felt personally victimized by the “biological clock” narrative. You know, the one that tells you if you don’t find your person, get married, and have all the children you want by age 30(ish), you’ve essentially “missed the boat” to building the family of your dreams.

The reality? It’s 2025, and both societal timelines and reproductive possibilities have come a long way. And in light of all that, it’s time to rescript the conversation around advanced maternal age (not geriatric pregnancies — because you know how we feel about that term). 

Because guess what? Having a baby later in life can absolutely come with benefits….for mothers and for babies.

But first, let’s get the necessary stuff out of the way

Look, we won’t pretend that age isn’t a factor when it comes to fertility and pregnancy outcomes. It absolutely is. However, terms like “advanced maternal age” make us think everything is well and good until the day a woman turns 35, at which point her fertility dramatically falls off a cliff. 

Take it from the experts (or, anecdotally, take it from me, someone who experienced infertility in my 20s): It doesn’t always look that way. Someone can face fertility challenges or pregnancy complications at 25 while someone else can have a perfectly smooth ride at 42. 

With that being said, fertility does tend to decline with age: As we’ve previously reported, egg quality begins to decline and people tend to ovulate less frequently. So yes, getting pregnant can be a bit more challenging when you’re over 35. And yes, the risks of adverse outcomes for both mothers and babies do rise with age.

However, as the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)  points out, 35 is a bit of an arbitrary threshold.

We won’t lie to you: risks exist

When it comes to fertility, age is more than just a number. Having a baby in your later thirties or forties does come with an increased risk for things like miscarriage, stillbirth, gestational diabetes, preeclampsia, and more issues, according to material from ACOG.

But as OB/GYN Noa Sterling, MD, points out in an Instagram reel, there are things that can be done to mitigate some of those risks. “Things like low-dose Aspirin, cervical length screening…we are not in a position where we just have to accept all of the risks and do nothing about it,” says Dr. Sterling. 

In short? If you’re considering getting pregnant at 35-plus, it may be a good idea to schedule a preconception appointment with your doctor to discuss all the ways you can mitigate risks in your own pregnancy.

There are benefits to being an older parent

Want to live longer? Have a baby later in life. According to research from 2016, there’s a link there. The benefits of having a baby after 35 don’t just extend to the mothers but also to the children.

And the benefits can be both biological and sociological. Parents who give birth later in life tend to be more educated and affluent, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. Emotionally, people may be more prepared for parenthood and settled in life if they wait if they give birth at 35-plus.

And of course, there’s the matter of finding the right partner (or finding yourself in a position where you feel prepared to become a single parent), which doesn’t always happen until someone is in their thirties. Allowing yourself to develop a strong foundation in your relationship (as opposed to holding yourself to the timeline of having your children before 35) can also be incredibly beneficial for the entire family unit.

Biology is somewhat fixed, but the world around us has changed

There is a frustrating mismatch between the biological realities, which put prime fertility at a point in our lives when many of us aren’t financially or emotionally ready for parenthood, and the societal shifts we’ve seen. However, reproductive healthcare and advancements can, at least to some degree, bridge that gap. 

According to research from the University of South Carolina, the rate of people giving birth at 35-plus has gone up by 900 percent over the past five decades, and first birth rates of women 40 and older have doubled in the past 30 years. 

Family planning is about more than biology. Luckily, while we can’t completely undo the biological realities of age and fertility, we can apply everything we’ve learned about reproductive health, and utilize technologies like egg freezing, IVF, and PGD, to help people address these disparities. And it’s not just about applying what we know to actually get pregnant — we can also apply new findings about how people over 35 can minimize the risks of having a baby “later in life”.

The bottom line?

There’s no “perfect” time to have a baby, but 35-plus may be the right time for you. Because while biological realities exist, they’re not the only things we have to consider when approaching family planning.

Fertility changes with age. There’s no denying that. But we have the tools and knowledge to address the risks, mitigate them, and acknowledge that for many families, the benefits of having a baby at 35-plus outweigh those risks. 

---

Zara Hanawalt is a freelance journalist and mom of twins. She's written for outlets like Parents, MarieClaire, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Motherly, and many others. In her (admittedly limited!) free time, she enjoys cooking, reading, trying new restaurants, and traveling with her family.