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Is there a 'perfect age' to become a mum? We look at the benefits - and pitfalls - of having a baby at 19 and 45.

When it comes to motherhood, doctors and scientists all agree that there's no single age that's defined as the "perfect time" to have a baby.

Being mentally capable, physically supple and financially stable are all touted as the general requirements, but get pregnant under the age of 20 and you're still considered a baby yourself; do it over 40 and you're termed over the hill.

Up until recently, mums over the age of 30 were considered "elderly primagravida" - in other words, first-timers so old that they generally required Caesarean sections and extra in-hospital care, even when they didn't.

But mums these days no longer fit into any particular mould.

The perfect age to have a baby has proved an illusion, as advances in women's rights and education, combined with the Pill, infertility drugs, IVF and egg and embryo freezing have all colluded to make giving birth later in life more possible - and popular - than ever before in history.

"Biologically, the best age to have a baby is between 20 and 25, because that's when you're at your healthiest and most supple," she explains.

"But societally, we've been told we can have it all - career first and babies later, so more and more women are postponing pregnancy to pursue their professional future.

"The truth is that the longer you wait, the more you blow your chances - and the more heartbreak you'll feel down the line."

Women inspired by Nicole Kidman, who gave birth to Sunday Rose at 41, or Halle Berry, also 41 when she gave birth to Nahla, know that it's not impossible to give birth later on, just a bit more difficult.

Mums who are older have organs and tissues which are older, which means that they run a greater risk of spontaneous bleeding, miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy (when the baby develops outside the womb), thyroid and high blood pressure problems, as well as diabetes.

"At 40, your eggs have been around longer, so they've been more exposed to more toxins and potential things to injure them," explains leading gynaecologist.

Mums over 35 have the highest rates of stillbirths and deaths in the first week of life, according to a national health service UK, as the risk of chromosomal abnormalities in the baby increases with the age of the mother.

The chance of having a baby with Down's syndrome is one in 1,500 for women who are 20 years old, one in 900 for women who are 30 and one in 100 for women who are 40, according to the Down's Syndrome Association (www.downs-syndrome.org.uk).

Other chromosomal disabilities, such as Patau's syndrome or Edwards syndrome, are also higher in older mums.

Despite the higher risk of physical ailments, some suggest over 35 is the "perfect age" to give birth because it often resonates with financial and emotional stability.

"Older mothers often feel more settled and more ready in themselves to have a baby, possibly due to already having had career and leisure opportunities." 

"And they're more likely than their younger counterparts to want to make the necessary sacrifices that having a baby inevitably brings."

Perhaps all of that positivity rubs off on the embryo, as research has shown that the children of older mothers tend to do better at school and that the mums are far less likely to suffer ante and post-natal depression than their younger counterparts. And oddly, according to research from University College, London, older mums tend to produce left-handed children.