One of the biggest decisions a couple will ever make is whether to have children. However, among those who do not want children, new research suggests that rather than discussing this topic at length, many couples agree to this after just one conversation, while others never discuss it at all.

A researcher in the UK surveyed 75 women aged 35 and older who did not have any children. The women were asked about any discussions they had with their partner about this subject.

The study found that 40% of the women had decided not to have children after just one conversation. Three of the women said they had not discussed the issue at all.

"Negotiation? It only needed one brief discussion, along the lines of 'I don't want kids - do you?' 'Nope, me neither'. Then move onto something more interesting to talk about...and neither of us reconsidered our options. There was no need to," one of the study participants said.

Another said that there was no discussion because she did not want children ‘and would never bother to pursue a romantic relationship with someone who did - it would be a pointless endeavour'.

Another said she and her partner were prompted to have the conversation as a result of pressure from family and friends, ‘but neither of us wanted kids'.

The researcher, Edina Kurdi, of Middlesex University, said she found the findings ‘somewhat surprising'.

"Not having children is obviously a very important decision, and what was interesting from the research was the negligible amount of discussion that couples engaged in - many are agreeing not to have children in one conversation, or in an unspoken way.

"One possible reason that couples did not need to talk about the issue much is that they could accurately sense their partner did not want children from their beliefs and lifestyle," she said.

Ms Kurdi presented her findings at the annual conference of the British Sociological Association in Leeds.