Open Question Responses : Age to Have Children

• Here are some qualitative comments from my questionnaire:

What is the youngest you feel acceptable for people to have children?

"When they are in a position to support a child"

"Not sure about acceptble, but personally did not feel ready till late twenties"

"Any age as long as they can support them without help from other or benefits etc..."

What is the oldest you feel is acceptable for people to have a child?

"40ish - being a parent I know how important it is to have the time, the energy and the empathy with...."

If women have passed the menopause do you feel they should be eligible for IVF?

"If a woman has finished her periods then it is natures way of saying she cant have any more. Exeption would be if a woman went through it at a very early age."

"It's selfish and unfair on the child. They are only thinking about themselves, birth is a natural process."

"I feel its up to the individual - some people who have had the menopause are still physically able to run around after small children, but I feel that those candidates for IVF after the menopause do need to seriously consider whether they'd be able to be their child's main carer both physically and mentally."

• Here are a few comments I received on Yahoo Answers when asking:

How Old is too Old to Have a Child?

"When you reach 35, you become much too old"

"For woman is age 37+ For man 48+"

"I think it's no one's business but their own. If they want a kid, they can have one since they're the ones who are going to be taking care of it."

• Some of the responses I gained from first post on Mumsnet when asking

In your opinion how young is too young to have a baby?

"Under 20, but preferably wait till at least nearer 30"

"As long as they have a mature attitude and are financially stable age is just a number"

"When you get to my age (older than God) you get a little less opinionated about this sort of thing, i find."

In your opinion how old is too old to have a baby?

"I think after natural menopause is probably a bad idea."

"Depends on the person, but definitely after natural menopause (presuming not v early)"

• Some more responses from Mumsnet, this time from my second post:

In your opinion how young is acceptable to have a baby?

"It depends on the individual. In my case teens and early 20s would have been too young because I didn't feel ready."

"Arbitrarily I think probably once you are out of your teens so 20 I guess. I waited until I had finished university, but I think midtwenties is the ideal age."

Other Thoughts?

"I don't think there is a "right" age for a woman to have a baby. I think a lot comes down to the individual and her circumstances at the time."