Do Russian Women Marry Young?

[OlgaH]

Misha, personally I just know 32 women in their late 20s and early 30s who have no intention to marry yet, they all have a good career, they travel, and just enjoy their life. 

[Misha]

Misha, personally I just know 32 women in their late 20s and early 30s who have no intention to marry yet, they all have a good career, they travel, and just enjoy their life. 

Living in Russia?

[OlgaH]

Yes, Misha in Russia.

[Misha]

Yes, Misha in Russia.

And these are women who were never married and do not have any children? If they are divorcees or single mothers, I would say they do not count 

But, if these are all women who have never been married and do not have any children, then I have to say that you know a type of woman that I have yet to meet in Russia: a woman in her thirties who does not have children or a husband and whose main priority is traveling or a career 

[kievstar]

Misha, there are a lot of these women in Kiev in there 30's and never married.  Career orientated.  I see no difference in women in Ukraine compared to USA when it comes to age of marriage.  I see no difference in big city women love work #1 and family #2. 

[OlgaH]

Misha, they have never been married and they don't have children. They are beautiful, intelligent and confident.

[Misha]

Again, I have never met such women in Russia. I have known some women who gave up on the idea of having a husband, but that is different than a woman choosing to not have a husband and children as she want to focus on her career.

[OlgaH]

Again, I have never met such women in Russia.

Misha, but it doesn't mean they don't exist 

[Misha]

Misha, but it doesn't mean they don't exist 

Sure, exceptions always exist, but I try to focus on average people living average lives 

[OlgaH]

Sure, exceptions always exist, but I try to focus on average people living average lives 

That exceptional women have made their lives to be not average step by step

[Misha]

That exceptional women have made their lives to be not average step by step

Well, even the exceptional women that I knew in Russia had married by the age of 30 or were looking for an exceptional husband long before then  :evil: But, I will take your word that there are at least 32 women in Russia who do not want to be married 

[OlgaH]

But, I will take your word that there are at least 32 women in Russia who do not want to be married 

They just take their time wisely. 

[Misha]

They just take their time wisely. 

So that is what it is called  :angel:

[OlgaH]

So that is what it is called  :angel:

No Misha, your picture doesn't fit to their case   Did I say that they are waiting for a perfect man?

[SFandEE]

They just take their time wisely.  

And I can introduce them to thousands of my contemporary US female cohort who took their time wisely into a life of quick marriages after 35, hormone shots, invitro fertilization and twins if successful, adoption if not and divorce if the whole process of getting a baby was just too much of a headache!

Not that there is anything wrong with that.

Mother nature has a way of throwing a wrench into getting around to it

[OlgaH]

And I can introduce them to thousands of my contemporary US female cohort who took their time wisely...

Yes, and there are thousands women in US who had their first child after 30s without problems 

[Blues Fairy]

Again, I have never met such women in Russia.

I was one; plus at least a couple dozens women I used to know.  Add them to Olga's 32. 

[SFandEE]

Yes, and there are thousands women in US who had their first child after 30s without problems 

30's yes--just look at Kate plus 8.  40's tougher, but you are right.  They have healthy babies after 35 all the time!!!!   Few weeks in the NICU and home to mom!!

[Boethius]

I know a lot of women who had babies after 35, and took them home the next day.  None had fertility treatments.  I don't know many women trying to get pregnant in their forties.

[LEGAL]

______________________

[OlgaH]

30's yes--just look at Kate plus 8.  40's tougher, but you are right.  They have healthy babies after 35 all the time!!!!   Few weeks in the NICU and home to mom!!

"Many women now start a family when they are in their mid-30s or older. Today, 1 in 5 women in the United States has her first child after age 35 (1). The good news is that most have healthy pregnancies and healthy babies. However, studies show that women in their mid-to-late 30s and 40s may face some special pregnancy risks."
http://www.marchofdimes.com/professionals/14332_1155.asp

[SFandEE]

I most certainly do not want to become the foil to healthy babies after 35.  It is most certainly possible and I am confident the anecdotal observations are accurate and supported.

There is the tricky little thing of science though and the link in the above post references it as well.  I hope I can separate myself effectively from whatever advocacy position I have been perceived to have taken that starting to have babies for a woman before 35 is less risky than starting a family after 35.  If it meets your plan, please start having babies after 35, there are no reasons to not wait.   I know people who have had happy, healthy babies after 35 that did not have to be in the NICU.  I know women that are under the age of 35 that have horribly complicated pregnancies resulting in severe issues for mother and/or baby.

[Boethius]

Female fertility drops drastically after 35, no doubt.  But, women do have healthy babies, particularly in countries with good maternal care.

Let's also not forget the other side of the equation.  Sperm quality starts declining gradually from about 25 years of age. 

The decreased fertility associated with maternal age has been well established, but understanding the effects of paternal age has become increasingly important. Over the decades, more and more men are having children at older ages. Since 1980, there has been a 24 percent increase in men aged 35 to 54 fathering children. But research has also indicated that older men take longer to conceive than their younger counterparts. One study of 8,515 planned pregnancies found that men older than 35 have half the chance of fathering a child within 12 months compared with men younger than 25, even when the age of the mother is considered.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/02/030210080435.htm

So, a 35 year old woman with an older man has a "double whammy".

[Misha]

"Many women now start a family when they are in their mid-30s or older. Today, 1 in 5 women in the United States has her first child after age 35 (1). The good news is that most have healthy pregnancies and healthy babies. However, studies show that women in their mid-to-late 30s and 40s may face some special pregnancy risks."
http://www.marchofdimes.com/professionals/14332_1155.asp

Sure, a 35 or 40 year old woman can have a healthy baby. The challenge will be conception. Fertility decreases quite dramatically for women past the age of 25 and increasingly so after the age of 35. The stats that I found googling: At 35 a woman is half as fertile as when she is 25; at 40 she's half as fertile as when she is 35. Can't confirm the veracity, but fits what I have read elsewhere.

[Boethius]

Generally, fertility is about 55% at 35 years of age of what it was at 25 years.  However, 2/3 of women will have little or no problem conceiving after 35 (meaning, getting pregnant within the first year they try). 

In the U.S., there were more babies born to mothers over 40 in the 1960's than there are now.  But, most of those weren't firstborns.