Society needs more kids. The U.S. birthrate has dropped to a record low. The feminists’ script — a big career and then, maybe childbirth — needs tweaking. 

Joy Pullman, managing editor for The Federalist, published a still-timely article in 2016: “Ten Top Reasons You Should Have Kids Before 30.” Get married. Have babies. Go boldly into your career when the kids go to school. 

“Society,” she wrote, “should encourage women to have children at the optimal biological time, both for women and children’s health and for their happiness.”

This is counterintuitive when the average age of marriage is 28.6. Couples are marrying past the peak age for human biological fertility, which is 22-24. And, people who start having children later in life usually have fewer of them.

A woman’s body is “at its peak development and strength when she’s in her twenties.” It’s the best age “to physically bear a baby, heal after birth, and continue to physically sustain a baby through nursing.” 

In her 20’s, a woman has less risk of miscarriage and birth defects. Her “eggs are at the best quality they will ever be.” As couples age, eggs degrade. And so do sperm. After age 35 there’s a higher risk of premature birth and several conditions, including Down Syndrome. 

Many young marrieds look at the cost of raising kids and put off having children. Some never get around to it and some face the heartbreak of having waited too long. But Joy Pullman learned, and many parents report, that “kids make you more efficient with time and money.” The data shows that “Fathers, in particular, are more likely to achieve more in their careers and earn more money than their childless peers.”

Other reasons include “more energy for playing,” and avoiding creating “the sandwich generation” — adults who must simultaneously care for aging parents and very young kids. 

Instead, younger, healthier grandparents can help you.