but there's also the fact that it's nice to be relatively young and healthy when you're chasing toddlers around the house. Eh, on this point, I'll relate a com

but there's also the fact that it's nice to be relatively young and healthy when you're chasing toddlers around the house. Eh, on this point, I'll relate a comment I heard through someone recently. They were talking to a family member, getting their thoughts on the trade-offs between having kids younger versus older. Their answer was wonderfully succinct: "You're trading energy for patience." The rest of your points are definitely valid. I have plenty of friends who've had kids later in life, naturally, without spending money on IVF, but there's definitely increased risk. As for Downs, the magic number seems to be 35-36 years old. Even then, the odds don't go to 100% but they definitely increase substantially, so it's something to keep in mind (as well as your feeling on the ethics of prenatal testing and the associated decisions if they come back with a positive indication...).