A letter to … my parents, who don’t know their golden child is cracking up

The letter you always wanted to write

Able semen: sperm has a shelf life, too (even if Mick Jagger is still going strong)

The rapid decline in women’s fertility as they age is well known – but what about men and their sperm? Read the fine print and the answer becomes less clear

Meet the mums in their 40s: four stories of having a baby later in life

The fertility rate is now higher among over-40s than under-20s for first time since 1947. But what’s it like to have your first child at this age?

Pregnant women wasting money on vitamin supplements, study says

Research claims multivitamins and minerals do not improve mothers’ or babies’ health and are an unnecessary expense

LGA urges councils and NHS to provide more help for children’s mental health

LGA report cites assemblies on mental health and peer mentors as initiatives schools and centres could use to tackle anxiety and depression

Am I ready to have a baby? You asked Google – here’s the answer

Every day millions of internet users ask Google life’s most difficult questions, big and small. Our writers answer some of the commonest queries

Most women undergoing fertility treatment will give birth within five years

Danish study showed 71% were successful within timeframe but chances of success were strongly linked to age, said researchers

My son, my new workout buddy

When Jane Costello found out that her gym allowed children of 11 and over to exercise with a parent, she realised it was a chance to spend quality time with her eldest son, Otis

A letter to … a woman at the checkout who was vile to me