Australian women pick family over baby:

The study into female fertility, released on Sunday, found that for 43 per cent of women aged 18-44 their top priority in life was their family and friends.

This was followed by the relationship with their partner at 18 per cent and their health at 14 per cent.

But having a baby was still one per cent higher over women's careers - with only three per cent of respondents saying their job came in at number one.

Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of NSW, Professor William Ledger said it was "significant" that having a baby was not more of a priority, given the fertility of the age group.

"This result reflects current social trends that show that Australian women are, on average, making the decision to start their family at a later age than ever before," he said in a statement.

Women, however, should be aware of the impact of delaying starting a family, he said.

"Not only can waiting to have a baby beyond their early 30s lead to difficulty in conceiving for many women, the ... survey also shows the possible effects of waiting on relationship issues such as stress (78 per cent) and sex being seen as a chore (53 per cent)."

Of those surveyed 70 per cent of the women reported knowing at least one person in their social circle who has had problems conceiving, and almost 50 per cent of those trying to fall pregnant said they were experiencing difficulties.

Nevertheless, being short of cash when bills were due trumped other stressful life events at 48 per cent, followed by the loss of a job at 26 per cent.

These dwarfed the pressure of trying to conceive, which came in at only five per cent of the 1010 women surveyed.

The survey, which was conducted by Galaxy Research between March 30 and April 2, was commissioned by the ovulation and pregnancy test company Clearblue.