Scientists Say Women Who Want 3 Children Should Get Started At 23

Dutch researchers have created a 'fertility calculator' based on woman's age.

Results showed that women who want three children should start having kids by the age of 23.

And those who want two children should start by 27 to ensure a 90 per cent success rate.

Anyone content with one child can leave it to 32 years old.

If a woman aiming for two children waits until she is 38, her chance of success is lower than 50 per cent.

The fertility chart was created by researchers at the University of Rotterdam who looked at the data on the natural fertility of 58,000 women over the past three centuries.

Dr Dik Habbema led the project and said: "I hope the model will play a part in making decisions easier."

The average age for starting a family in England has steadily risen over the past four decades as increasing numbers of women delay motherhood while they follow their careers.

Allan Pacey, a fertility professor at the University of Sheffield, said the chart would help women plan their lives.

"Everyone thinks you can wait - this shows you can't," he said.

"The table ought to be copied and put up on the clinic wall."

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