The best age to become a mother – between 20 and 35

Leader of UK's maternity doctors warns against trend towards older motherhood and says schools could help to teach youngsters the best age for childbearing

Goodwill hunting: learning the power of connection in Spain

Christmas can put a strain on relationships. Kate Edgley flew to Spain for a course on being more understanding. Would it bring tidings of comfort and joy?

This column will change your life: With friends like these…

We all know not to judge a book by its cover, so why do we take people we 'meet' on social networking sites at face value, wonders Oliver Burkeman

This column will change your life: What’s the worst that could happen?

Failure is an inevitable consequence of the human condition. It's how we deal with it that's more important, says Oliver Burkeman

This column will change your life: The truth about cats and dogs

What do our relationships with pets tell us about ourselves, wonders Oliver Burkeman

Lucy Mangan: They can’t pull the wool over my eyes. Well, not any more

Maybe it's late-onset teenage rebellion, or some kind of early pre-menopausal hormonal adjustment, but a new questioning spirit is stirring within me

Surviving the midlife crisis: a 10-point guide

Feeling anxious and washed-up before you've even hit 40, let alone 50? Then follow our 10-point guide to keeping sane

Experience: I lost all four limbs to septicaemia

Ray Edwards: 'The anaesthetist said, "Everything's going to be all right." My next memory is waking up and my father saying I'd lost my hands and feet'

My wife’s illness has ruined our sex life and she suggests I look for a lover

You need support to help you feel less resentful and to find other ways of giving each other pleasure. And don't discount extramarital sex: it could work for both of you

Lucy Mangan: Toryboy’s turning into a weight on my mind

He won't eat veg, he loves junk food and he won't exercise. So why is my husband in the least bit surprised that he's getting rather flabby?