u/blushvoid

*Update: I'm in BC, Canada

I’m looking for some advice and perspective about choosing between going to school to become an RN or an LPN, and how that fits with fertility and life plans.

I’m 27 (turning 28 later this year), working full time and also currently a student working on my prereqs. I likely wouldn't be able to apply for the RN program until late 2027 or early 2028, but the LPN I could apply to earlier.

My main dilemma:

• RN route:
  • I could be in school + clinicals well into my early 30s, which overlaps with the years when I’d ideally want to have kids.
  • I’m worried about trying to juggle fertility treatments/pregnancy or raising young kids while still in school
• LPN route:
  • Shorter training, I could be working sooner and earning a decent wage.
  • Potentially less schooling during my early 30s, so I’d have more flexibility to focus on starting a family while working.
  • Can take the RN bridge program

I’d ideally like to have kids in my early 30s. I’m worried that if I commit to an RN program now, I might spend most of my remaining “best fertility years” in school and miss out on a healthier/easier pregnancy.
At the same time, I've heard of many women making it work.

So I’m stuck between:

• Prioritizing RN for long‑term career and earnings, and accepting that my early 30s might be hectic and that fertility plans could be more complicated; vs
• Prioritizing LPN, getting into the workforce sooner, and having more flexibility for pregnancy/kids in my early 30s, even if it means a lower ceiling on income intially and later going back to become an RN

Questions I’d love input on:

1. If you were in your late 20s with fertility concerns, would you go RN or LPN, and why?
2. Has anyone here done nursing school (RN or LPN) while trying to conceive, going through fertility treatment, or pregnant? How realistic was it?
3. For RNs who started later or had kids in their early 30s, how did you balance school, early career, and family planning?
4. Are there realistic paths to start as an LPN and bridge to RN later once family plans feel more settled, or is that harder than it sounds?

I know this is a very personal decision, but I’d really appreciate hearing personal experiences and especially from those who’ve navigated school/career alongside fertility worries or chronic health/disability.

Thanks in advance for any advice/suggestions, much appreciated!

I’m looking for some advice and perspective about choosing between going to school to become an RN or an LPN, and how that fits with fertility and life plans.

I’m 27 (turning 28 later this year), working full time and also currently a student working on my prereqs. I likely wouldn't be able to apply for the RN program until late 2027 or early 2028, but the LPN I could apply to earlier.

My main dilemma:

• RN route:
  • I could be in school + clinicals well into my early 30s, which overlaps with the years when I’d ideally want to have kids.
  • I’m worried about trying to juggle fertility treatments/pregnancy or raising young kids while still in school
• LPN route:
  • Shorter training, I could be working sooner and earning a decent wage.
  • Potentially less schooling during my early 30s, so I’d have more flexibility to focus on starting a family while working.
  • Can take the RN bridge program

I’d ideally like to have kids in my early 30s. I’m worried that if I commit to an RN program now, I might spend most of my remaining “best fertility years” in school and miss out on a healthier/easier pregnancy.
At the same time, I've heard of many women making it work.

So I’m stuck between:

• Prioritizing RN for long‑term career and earnings, and accepting that my early 30s might be hectic and that fertility plans could be more complicated; vs
• Prioritizing LPN, getting into the workforce sooner, and having more flexibility for pregnancy/kids in my early 30s, even if it means a lower ceiling on income intially and later going back to become an RN

Questions I’d love input on:

1. If you were in your late 20s with fertility concerns, would you go RN or LPN, and why?
2. Has anyone here done nursing school (RN or LPN) while trying to conceive, going through fertility treatment, or pregnant? How realistic was it?
3. For RNs who started later or had kids in their early 30s, how did you balance school, early career, and family planning?
4. Are there realistic paths to start as an LPN and bridge to RN later once family plans feel more settled, or is that harder than it sounds?

I know this is a very personal decision, but I’d really appreciate hearing personal experiences and especially from those who’ve navigated school/career alongside fertility worries or chronic health/disability.

Thanks in advance for any advice/suggestions, much appreciated!