Middle-Aged Moms

More and more women are waiting longer to have children. Although there are some health risks associated with advanced maternal age, experts say longer life expectancy and advances in obstetrical care mean that women can have children well beyond the traditional age span.

Thursday, September 22, 2005

print | email | digg | del.icio.us

• Listen to MedMinute Audio

Durham, N.C. -- A growing number of women in their 40s are choosing to become new mothers. According to Dr. Grace Couchman, a fertility specialist at Duke University Medical Center, this trend reflects women’s changing career options as well as longer life expectancy. “Now that women’s life spans are extending into their 90s, I see lots of healthy women in their 40s who do not seem old, because they’re barely at the halfway point. I think in today’s society, it is more realistic to raise a child and give birth in your 40s.” Couchman says there are some health risks for older moms during pregnancy, as well as an increased risk for genetic abnormalities such as Down syndrome. But advances in in vitro fertilization and obstetrical care now make later motherhood a realistic option for many healthy women. “Women are intended biologically, but maybe not personally, to have children younger. It’s far easier to get pregnant in your 20s than in your 30s and 40s. The age of the egg is very important. So a lot of women who choose to get pregnant into their 40s are choosing donor eggs.” I’m Cabell Smith for MedMinute.