Is 66 too old to have a baby ?

With all the media attention being given to Jon & Kate plus their eight children, I decided to read over some other various news articles dealing with fertility treatments. One particular article that caught my attention comes from the UK, announcing that a 66 year old woman is 8 months pregnant, expecting her first child. The article states that Mrs. Adeney is a very wealthy and healthy divorcee and is elated to be expecting her first child. She conceived the child through IVF treatments in Ukraine, since most British clinics will not offer services to women over 50. She is not alone in her old age pregnancy. In 2007, Mrs. Tollefson, 56 gave birth to her first child with her 46 year old husband with the help of IVF treatments from a Russian fertility clinic. Three years ago, Patricia Rashbrook, 62, from Sussex, gave birth to a son with the help of a donor egg from Russia. This case attracted much media attention since this was the first child for her husband while she already had 3 grown-up children.

As many critics have pointed out, Mrs. Adeney will be 79 by the time the child reaches its teens years and well into her 80s when the child is in college. On a blog site, many mothers have expressed their view points on her as well, calling it an "act of breathtaking selfishness" and stressing the need for a "cut-off point" in the age that a woman can become pregnant.

Meanwhile, others are quick to point out the double standard that exists between men and women when expecting a child. When BBC reporter, Jonathan Dimbleby had a child at the age of 64, everyone sent well wishes his way. Even over in America, Donald Trump and David Lettermen are among a few of the famous fathers who had children later in life, without much critizism given to them. What many people don't consider is that life expenctancy for women is always much longer than it is for men. Today, a women's life expenctancy is 85, while it is 82 for men.

Dr. Lockwood, a physician that has been following Mrs. Adeney case, stated that because IVF treatments for older patients rely on donor eggs taken from younger women, almost all of the dangers associated with older motherhood-such as down's syndrome and other foetal abnormalities-are not present. She believes that childbirth is not difficult if the woman is fit and healthy and does not have any underlying health problems. The most challenging part of pregnancy for older women is the psychological aspect of each case. Why is the woman not content with being an aunt or god-mother to children of friend's and relatives? Regardless of the reasons behind the woman wanting to become a mother later on in life, society will still place judgements on each specific case.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/women_shealth/5335947/Is-66-too-old-to-have-a-baby.html