Fertility & IVF Experts: Don't Bet All On Late Motherhood

In the wake of a new record
for becoming the world's oldest mother, fertility experts are encouraged by
recent research showing that older moms are as capable of good parenting as
younger women -- but are increasingly concerned about women naively
postponing pregnancy till later in life.



"Thanks to technology and the improved health of today's 40- and
50-year-olds, it is more possible than ever to facilitate their desires for
pregnancy," said Dr. Ramie Hinckley of Reproductive Science Center of the
Bay Area, in vitro fertilization (IVF) specialist. "But no one should take
that as reason enough to put off giving birth past the normal reproductive
years."



Women's focus on career development -- combined with advances in
fertility medicine -- has produced higher-than-ever increases in the birth
rates for older mothers. The birth rate for American women aged 40-44 years
has more than doubled in the last 25 years, according to the Centers for
Disease Control, a greater increase than in any other age group.



But there is a down side, Dr. Hinckley said: "The media spotlight on
women giving birth in their 50s and 60s, especially among celebrities, can
create the fallacy that there is no ticking clock and ultimately create
heartache for women who wait too long to try to conceive."



In December, a 67-year-old Spanish woman became the world's oldest
mother, after having undergone IVF in the United States. Meanwhile, results
of a study announced in October by University of Southern California
researchers showed that women in their 50s and 60s are just as capable of
being good parents as women in their 30s and 40s. The research was based on
the mental and physical health of 150 women, a third of whom had become
parents in their 50s after receiving IVF with donor eggs.



In accordance with American Society for Reproductive Medicine
guidelines, the age limit for women who seek fertility treatment at RSC is
currently 51 (52 for a gestational carrier). Fertility decline begins at
age 28. Although women older than 35 run greater risk of complications
during pregnancy and delivery, the study clearly states that once their
children are born, older women are just as good at raising them.



The study also reinforces the use of assisted reproductive technology
such as egg freezing for those who wish to begin parenting later in life.
In just the last year, scientists at RSC have begun offering such "egg
banking" to qualified patients for fertility preservation.



About Reproductive Science Center



Established in 1983, the Reproductive Science Center of the San
Francisco Bay Area was one of the earliest IVF facilities in the United
States, begun just two years after the nation's first successful IVF
treatment. RSC was among the first in the United States to report a
successful pregnancy from an egg donated from one woman to another for
gestation and delivery, and was also responsible for the nation's second
successful transfer of a previously frozen embryo into a mother's uterus.
Today, RSC boasts a staff of six infertility physicians with a collective
85 years' experience with offices in San Ramon, Orinda, San Jose, Fremont,
Modesto, Brentwood, and Monterey. RSC is a member of IntegraMed, a national
network of 30 fertility centers in 95 locations across the United States.
One of every five IVF procedures in the United States is performed in an
IntegraMed practice. For more information, visit rscbayarea.


Reproductive Science Center of the Bay Area

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