title: The Best Age for Pregnancy and Undue Pressures.
abstract: In western countries we assist at the paradox that fertility is socially discouraged by a mindset that depicts fertility as a resource to exploit as late as possible. So, couples have high expectative about the advantages of delayed parenthood, but they are scarcely informed about its risks. Scientific data suggests to anticipate the first pregnancy, but social pressures impose to wait, though delayed childbearing can provoke sterility and a greater gap between generations. The best age to become parents should be autonomously decided by a couple, under the condition of being a free informed choice and not a social imposition, but currently this is not guaranteed to western women and men.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics and Maternal Health, University Hospital, Siena, Italy.
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bellieni
keywords: Motherhood; Offspring