Is Delaying the Pursuit of Pregnancy a Wise Decision?

We often delay making important decisions. After all, important decisions are difficult and require careful thought and consideration. Determining the best time to conceive and have a baby may be one of the most important decisions a patient will ever make and certainly requires a great deal of consideration.  With women pursuing careers, households requiring the incomes of both partners, women marrying later, debt from advanced education, and the cost of being pregnant and raising a child, women are delaying the decision to have a baby. Recent statistics showed that while birth rates dropped to an all time low in 2011, there was an actual increase in births to women ages 35-39 and 40-44 and one out of five women wait till after age 35 to pursue their first pregnancy.