Over the past three decades, there has been a steady increase in the average age of parents. Advances in fertility science mean that people can, literally¹, put their eggs or sperm² on ice and delay the start of parenthood.

在过去的三十年里，人们成为父母的平均年龄不断增加。生育科学的进步确实使人们可以冷冻卵子或精子，从而推迟做父母的时间。

Many large companies, such as Apple, Facebook and Google, now offer egg freezing to employees as part of their healthcare package. Putting off having a baby has never been easier or more socially acceptable.

像苹果、脸书及谷歌等大公司如今为员工提供卵子冷冻作为公司福利的一部份。推迟生孩子从未像现在这般容易，也从未像现在这般被社会所认可。

However, parents have a moral obligation to give their child the best start in life.

然而，父母们有道德义务给孩子们提供最好的人生开端。

But children born to mothers over the age of 35 and fathers over the age of 45 are at greater risk of having genetic³ and neurodevelopmental disorders⁴, such as schizophrenia and autism , which arguably affects the child's quality of life.

不过在人们生孩子的时候，如果母亲的年龄超过35岁，且父亲的年龄超过45岁，那出生的孩子罹患精神分裂症和自闭症等遗传和神经发育性疾病的几率更大，可以说这会影响孩子的生活品质。

Also, older parents are more likely to need assisted reproduction, such as IVF, which is associated with babies being born early or with low birth weight. Babies born via IVF are also at higher risk of cardiovascular and metabolic⁵ disease in later life.

而且，年纪较大的父母更可能需要辅助生殖技术，例如体外受精，这与婴儿早产或出生体重低有关。通过体外受精出生的婴儿在晚年罹患心血管疾病及代谢性疾病的风险更大。

If prospective⁶ parents freeze their eggs or sperm when they are younger, they can reduce some age-associated risks but not those due to IVF.

如果前瞻性父母在更年轻的时候冷冻卵子或精子，他们可以减少部分年龄相关的风险，但无法避免那些体外受精产生的风险。

If a 30-year-old woman delays trying for a baby from age 30 until 35, her chances of falling pregnant are reduced by 9 percent.

如果一名30岁的女子把生孩子的时间从30岁推迟到35岁，那么她怀孕的可能性会降低9%。

When to start?

什么时候生孩子?

The scientific data is clear. The "right" age to have a child according to your biological clock is under 35 for women and under 40 for men.

科学数据很明确。根据你的生物钟，生孩子的“合适”年龄对女性而言是35岁以下，而对男性而言则是40岁以下。

More than 75 percent of young people underestimate the impact of age on male and female fertility – yet only 27 percent of doctors discuss this with patients aged 18-34 years who wish to delay childbearing for social reasons.

超过75%的年轻人低估了年龄对男性和女性生育能力的影响，但只有27%的医生会与年龄在18~34岁之间且因为社会原因而希望推迟生育计划的病人讨论这个问题。

There needs to be a greater awareness⁷ about the risks of delaying family planning, and family doctors should play a more proactive role in this.

人们对于推迟家庭计划的风险需要有更深刻的认识，而且对于这个问题，家庭医生应发挥更加积极的作用。

So, ultimately, if you want to have a child, the right age may be sooner than you thought.

所以，如果你终究会想要一个孩子，那么生孩子的合适年龄可能比你所认为的更早。