ABSTRACT
Psychosocial motives and implications of considering parenthood for heterosexuals include whether and when to become parents, what resources each will bring to parenting and repercussions of these decisions on each partner and on the couple's relationship. Deliberating couples usually weigh up the rewards and losses of becoming parents: the opportunity to relive tender experiences from their own infantile past. Most commonly a heterosexual couple will simply reach a point in their relationship when they mutually feel the need to face the future. The decision to have a baby, either in a lesbian couple or as a single woman, involves foresight, planning and a conscious decision and, in some cases, ideological commitment. Some specific considerations of lesbians are those of identifying the options and procuring the means for parenting. For many women, 35 is a 'conceptual boundary', and as she passes her 30th birthday, whether single or in a partnership, she becomes aware of time passing.
