The worst decision you can ever make is to have a child, according to science

This may spell bad news for new parents, but research has shown that having a kid is not paticularly beneficial to you.

If you've noticed that your friends are starting to raise little families of their own, and you fancy a slice of parental bliss, you may want to hear what the experts have to say about parenthood first.

Scientific studies have shown that having a child can severely effect numerous things in your life ranging from money to sleep and even sex.

Greg and Mitch, who host a YouTube science show, have detailed the damaging effects that a child can have on individuals as well as couples.

Here are a few of their key stats.

For starters, marriages have been shown to struggle significantly after the birth of a child.

Bustlereport that 70 per cent couples experience slumps in their relationship within the first three years of a child's birth.

This can be attributed to a variety of things; including less intimacy, less money, differences in opinion on how to raise the child, and an overall lack of time spent together.

Ellen Walker P.h.D. told Psychology Today:

Marital satisfaction rates actually plummet after the birth of the first child.

So, if a couple has the idea that a baby will bring them closer, think again.

Sleep is also something that parents can kiss goodbye to. In the first two years of a baby's life a parent will lose six months of sleep, amounting to only 2.5 hours of sleep a night on average.

There is also a huge financial deficiency that is associated with children.

NBC News have reported that in America, having a kid can cost as much as $13,000 a year, which by the time they reach 17, will mean parents have forked out a total of $233,000.

Furthermore, mother's make roughly 3 percent less money than those that don't have children.

Finally there is the threat of overpopulation. Scientists predict that the world's population will exceed 10.5 billion by 2050.

If this happens, it will be harder for the population to produce enough food, water and shelter for everyone to survive adequately.

Therefore, by not having a kid you could be saving the planet.

Of course, this isn't to say don't have kids at all - but it is an example of just how challenging this responsibility can be.

HT YouTube, Medical News Today, NBC News, Psychology Today, New York Times, Bustle

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