First-time parents at 40: "I didn't want a child at any cost with just anyone"

First-time parents at 40: an economic decision or biology against the ropes?

"I didn't want a child at any cost and with just anyone." This remark, made by a 46-year-old father who had his first child at 41, sums up the growing trend of putting off parenthood until one's forties. Behind it lies an economic calculation: securing job stability, finding the right partner, building up wealth. But the numbers reveal an uncomfortable reality: assisted fertility success rates fall below 15% after 40, and genetic risks multiply. Is the delay worth it?

The dream of stability: a luxury with an expiry date

Many professionals postpone parenthood to consolidate their careers. Work experience, savings and owning a home take priority. Yet by the time that goal is reached, biology has moved on. Women who delay motherhood because they "can't find the right one" face a shrinking dating market. Men, though theoretically fertile all their lives, find their energy for raising a teenager at 55 much reduced.

The bill for late fertility: €15,000 for less than a 15% success rate

The cost of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) is around €15,000 per cycle, and the odds of success for women over 40 do not exceed 15%. What's more, the risk of chromosomal abnormalities is ten times higher than at 25. Some point out that the biological clock doesn't lie, and that the ideology of self-fulfilment clashes with a cold reality: many couples spend fortunes on treatments with no guarantees.

Inheritance and property: the optimistic argument

A less widespread view holds that children of older parents benefit from a wealth advantage. Often being only children, they will inherit owned homes in their 20s or 30s, something younger parents cannot offer. In a strained property market, that inheritance can provide a decisive cushion. Others, however, counter that the inheritance will come in the form of a mortgage or a flat in an uncertain economic climate.

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Deciding to become a parent at 40 is no longer just a matter of personal preference, but a complex puzzle where biology, economics and social expectations collide. The data doesn't resolve the dilemma: every delay carries an opportunity cost, but also an emotional benefit. What is clear is that the clock doesn't stop, and the bill, in euros or in health, eventually arrives.

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