Katrina Kaif and Vicky Kaushal are set to welcome their first child. They have shared a photo where Katrina is flaunting her baby bump on her Instagram.

She is 42 and her choice also mirrors a growing trend among urban Indian women who are embracing motherhood later in life, often after focusing on education, careers, and financial independence. In fact, late pregnancies have become increasingly common in recent years. Deepika Padukone, for example, welcomed her daughter on September 8, 2024, at the age of 38, joining a growing number of public figures who are redefining the timeline of motherhood.

Late Pregnancy: How Healthy Is It?

The National Institute of Health (NIH), US (2022), 20% of women in the US are now having their first child after the age of 35. While it is the new trend, the NIH doctor Dr Alan Decherney, a fertility expert explains that "As women age, they are still fertile, but their odds of pregnancy are decreased because they are not making as many good eggs that will fertile and divide normally and turn out to be an embryo."

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Is Getting Pregnant More Difficult After 30?

After age 30, a woman's fertility decreases ever year, notes the NIH July 2022 issue. It notes: "The number and quality of her eggs goes down until she reaches menopause."

However, experts do point out that getting pregnant in your 30s need not be a stressful affair at all times. As it is at this age when you experience more stability, and also someone you know who have a personal experience in handling one. Most important, you are more mature at this age, which you may not be in your 20s.

Are You Planning Your Pregnancy After 30s? Here's How To Do It Right

Quit Habits: If you are a smoker, or consume alcohol, this is a good time to leave it.

Reduce Stress: While pregnancy for some can bring stress, try to find activities that help you release it.

Healthy Weight: Ensure that your weight is right, reduce your waist to bring it to a healthy range for a healthy pregnancy.

Food Habits: Stop eating junk and start eating more whole grains.

Exercise: A sedentary lifestyle can impact negatively on the child. You do not have to do HIIT, however, regular easy workouts can make both the pregnancy and delivery easy.

What Women In Their 30s Should Be Ready For During Pregnancy?

Dr Michelle Y Owens, professor of obstetrics and gynecology and a practicing maternal-fetal medicine specialist at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson, writes for the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) that "the longer your eggs have been around, the more likely they are to produce a pregnancy with a chromosome problem that can lead to a condition like Down syndrome. The risk goes up significantly after 35."

However, she says, there is a good news. Now, we have tools to detect and respond to pregnancy complications early.

Men are beginning to discuss fertility preservation, but the concept of freezing sperm before the age of 35 should not be promoted as something that all young men should undergo. There is no consensus on when men should freeze their sperm; rather, it will depend on their 'personal choice for future childbearing, medical risk, the quality of their sperm and whether, and when, they would be willing to pursue medical assistance or face new circumstances that may limit their options'.

Age still plays a role because male fertility is not entirely age-independent either. Although spermatogenesis persists with age, a prolongation of paternal age is associated with a gradual deterioration in semen parameters and sperm DNA.

How Age Affects Sperm Quality And DNA

A recent 2024 study of 200 turgescent samples from normozoospermic males aged 35 years or less demonstrated DNA fragmentation of 15.

4% in patients of 35 years or less versus 21.7% in patients of 42 years or more. In the older group, host freezing was linked with an increased DNA fragmentation index to 26.7%. This is the reason why sperm freezing upon retrieval at a younger age may have biological benefits.

But the biggest reason for sperm banking is still fertility preservation related medical issues. Men who are diagnosed with testicular cancer, lymphoma, leukaemia or other cancers should ideally freeze sperm before the commencement of chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or possibly fertility-damaging operations and surgery. The 2025 ASCO guideline explicitly urges that fertility preservation be taken into consideration and sperm banking made accessible before cancer therapy.

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Medical Conditions And Treatments That Can Affect Male Fertility

Men diagnosed with health conditions, receiving medical treatment, or taking drugs that could affect sperm production could also be eligible. Autoimmune diseases, certain systemic diseases, and certain medicines have been reported to interfere with normal sperm production. If testosterone treatment is on a man's agenda, then he should also talk about sperm preservation as a possible option since externally applied testosterone therapy can suppress the body's naturally occurring testosterone levels and, because of this, impair the production of sperm.

Sperm freezing may also be particularly relevant for men with persistently low sperm count or poor sperm motility, especially when these findings are accompanied by elevated follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels. High FSH can indicate impaired testicular function and reduced sperm-producing capacity.

In some men, sperm production may decline further over time, and in severe cases, sperm may become very few or even difficult to retrieve from the ejaculate. Banking sperm when viable sperm are available can therefore provide an additional option for future fertility treatment. The decision should be individualised based on semen parameters, FSH levels, the underlying cause and the advice of a reproductive urologist or fertility specialist.

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Elective Sperm Freezing For Men Delaying Parenthood

Men who expect to delay parenthood are also showing interest in so-called "elective" or "social" sperm freezing, which is done when it's not related to any medical condition or infertility. It would be the right choice mostly for those men who would not be able or are not sure to get married or to have kids soon, who are exposed to occupational factors endangering fertility, or who want to have a medical treatment that might negatively affect their fertility.

A major 2025 registry analyzing 7,044 men undergoing sperm bank over 30 years indicated an average age at cryopreservation of around 33.1 years, whereas those between 3540 were among the ones most often coming back to take their samples from the freezer.

Importantly, freezing sperm is not the same as guaranteeing a future baby. A 2023 study of 7,969 donor-oocyte cycles found broadly comparable outcomes using fresh and cryopreserved sperm, although fertilisation was marginally lower with frozen sperm after adjustment, 73.66% versus 74.65%.

So, before 35, sperm freezing is best viewed as an option for selected men, not a compulsory fertility insurance policy. Anyone considering it should first undergo a semen analysis and counselling with a reproductive urologist or fertility specialist, particularly if there is a medical, genetic or reproductive risk.

With infertility affecting an estimated one in six couples, experts at the Times Network India Health Summit 2026 spoke about the importance of seeking timely reproductive health advice and acquiring awareness about treatment options.

They discussed how advancements in fertility treatment have improved the chances of conception, but in vitro fertilisation (IVF) cannot guarantee a pregnancy.

During a panel discussion titled “The Fertility Revolution: Reimagining Parenthood in Modern India,” experts also examined how technology is shaping fertility care, while focusing on the limits of treatment, the cost of repeated IVF cycles and the dire need to address stigma around infertility.

IVF Is A Ray Of Hope For Many Couples But Not A Guarantee

Dr. Hrishikesh Pai, Founder and Managing Director of Bloom IVF India, spoke about the improvement in IVF outcomes over the past three decades. “When I started my own area in 1990, the success rate was 5%. Now it has gone to 30%,” he said.

Pai also spoke about the expansion of India's fertility treatment sector, saying the country had moved from an emerging field to one with centres capable of matching international units in performance.

Technology is also fueling more possibilities in reproductive treatment. Pai discussed the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to assist with embryo selection, egg assessment and sperm identification, alongside emerging techniques like robotic-assisted microinjection.

However, Dr. Abha Majumdar, Emeritus Consultant in IVF and Human Reproduction at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, cautioned against allowing these advances and spoke about the importance of maintaining unrealistic expectations.

“IVF is not a miracle,” she said, emphasising that patients should receive accurate information about likely outcomes and the limitations of treatment.

Majumdar also raised concerns about AI-generated advertisements promising successful IVF cycles. She stressed that technological progress does not remove the responsibility to communicate treatment outcomes honestly and compassionately.

Age And Fertility Preservation

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For couples considering parenthood later in life, understanding age-related fertility decline is important. Dr. Ranjana Sharma, Senior Consultant in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, explained that women are born with a finite supply of eggs, which declines over time.

She highlighted the need for greater awareness of reproductive timing and the options available to people who plan to delay pregnancy.

Majumdar also discussed reproductive autonomy, noting that women increasingly have the freedom to decide when, or whether, to have children. However, she cautioned against viewing egg freezing as a guarantee of future pregnancy, describing it instead as a form of insurance.

Fertility preservation may also be relevant for people facing medical treatments that could affect their reproductive potential. Pai highlighted egg freezing before chemotherapy or radiation therapy as an option for some women who wish to preserve the possibility of having children later.

Sperm freezing can similarly help some men preserve fertility before cancer treatment or in circumstances where future fertility may be a concern.

Financial Burden Of IVF

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Even when treatment is available, its cost can be anobstacle. Some patients require more than one IVF cycle, making the overall expense staggering.

Majumdar warned that repeated treatment can become expensive for some families. Although access to fertility services and insurance coverage have improved, affordability remains an important concern.

She also emphasised that patients need realistic information before beginning treatment, including an understanding that one cycle may not result in pregnancy.

Dr. Vimal Grover, who spoke about rising infertility and changing reproductive patterns, identified delayed marriage and childbearing, along with work-related stress, among the factors she had observed. She also pointed to AI's potential role in transforming fertility care.

“One in six couples is infertile,” Grover said. The figure highlights the scale of the infertility crisis in the country.

Male Infertility Remains Overlooked

The panel also addressed the tendency to blame women when couples experience difficulty conceiving. Sharma said women are often held responsible for infertility, even though reproductive difficulties can involve either partner. She also said that fertility specialists increasingly make a point of consulting both partners to encourage shared responsibility for getting tested and treated.

Pai similarly emphasised the importance of evaluating male fertility. Alongside sperm freezing before chemotherapy or radiation therapy, he highlighted its relevance for men with low sperm counts and some patients who may need fertility treatment in the future.

The experts urged couples experiencing difficulties conceiving to seek medical advice rather than feel ashamed or assume that infertility is solely a woman's concern.

The panel was part of the Times Network India Health Summit 2026, held in New Delhi under the theme “The Blueprint for a Future-Ready Healthcare Ecosystem – Innovation. Access. Self-Reliance.” The summit brought together healthcare leaders, clinicians, researchers, policymakers and industry stakeholders to discuss the future of India's healthcare system.

At the Times Network India Health Summit 2026, Dr. Deepak Kumar, Professor and Head of the Department of Psychiatry at the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS) said that suicidal thoughts should be treated as a medical emergency requiring immediate professional help, just as in cardiac emergencies.

He said, “A death wish is usually a cry for help. Just as we provide immediate medical care during cardiac emergencies, suicide risk also requires urgent medical attention.”

Speaking during a session titled “The Next Frontier in Indian Psychiatry: Specialization, Geriatric Mental Health, and De-addiction Strategies”, Dr. Kumar discussed the importance of recognising early warning signs and monitoring screen time in children to prevent serious mental health disorders.

Dr. Kumar stressed that suicidal thoughts or a wish to die should never be treated casually as they could be silent cries for help.

"It is a very good thing to give space to mind and mental health in a health conclave. If we look at the numbers in our country, the total proportion is alarming. For example, the national mental health survey shows a lifetime prevalence of 13.7%. One in every 5 people has some psychological issue. Suicide statistics show 12 per lakh. Top 3 causes of death in young adults - one of them is suicide."

Excessive Screen Time Can Affect Children's Mental Health

While discussing smartphones and social media, Dr. Kumar said excessive screen use can interfere with daily functioning as one could be hooked on instant dopamine hit.

He spoke about gaming addiction disorders and said that such problematic smartphone use and excessive screen exposure are forms of behavioural addiction.

He said, “I will not advocate a blanket ban on smartphones like in Australia as they can also support education and learning.”

He advocated for judicious use among children and more awareness among parents to prevent excessive screen exposure.

Also read: Children’s Mental Health In The Digital Age: Can Governments Protect Them Without Restricting Internet Access? | Interview

Why Parents Should Set Screen-Time Limits

Dr. Kumar expressed concern about parents giving smartphones to very young children. He also recommended avoiding screen time for children under two and limiting use among older children.

He also said that Parents should pay attention to changes in children's sleep, mood, social interactions and everyday activities. He said looking out for signs like social withdrawal, distress or other behavioural changes should be priority.

Behavioural Changes Can Be Mental Health Concerns

According to Dr. Kumar, psychiatric conditions are often identified through symptoms and changes in a person's thoughts, emotions and behaviour, rather than through blood tests or imaging alone.

Diagnosis depends on the nature, duration and severity of symptoms, as well as their effect on everyday functioning, relationships and family or social life.

A sudden change in behaviour can be a warning sign. Someone who is usually cheerful, for instance, may become withdrawn, gloomy or reluctant to leave their room. Constant mood changes, behavioural outbursts and changes associated with substance use may also warrant attention.

Physical conditions can affect mental well-being, too. Dr. Kumar cited thyroid disorders and diabetes as examples of conditions that may be associated with depression or anxiety.