Women Urged To Conceive At A Younger Age: Why?

Main Category: Fertility
Also Included In: Women's Health / Gynecology
Article Date: 17 Mar 2009 - 2:00 PDT

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Mothers Day' (March 22nd) is a day to celebrate the joy of motherhood and many mothers will receive gifts from their offspring to demonstrate their appreciation. But it will also be a poignant and sensitive day for many women who want to have a family but have not been successful in achieving their dearest wish.

Increasingly, women have decided to start their family later to allow time to complete and further their education, to develop their career or because they have just not met the right man. While this is understandable, it flies in the face of the fact that as a woman ages, her fertility declines. An increasing number of women, who have delayed motherhood are finding that when they decide the time is right for a baby, conception just does not happen easily in the way that they had expected.

"I constantly meet young women who do not realise that by delaying motherhood they are increasing their chances of not becoming a mother at all" says Gedis Grudzinskas. "The average age that a woman has her first child is now over 31 and rising, not an ideal age, according to the scientific evidence. At 27 years of age a woman's fertility will start to decline and after 35 the rate of decline increases very substantially."

"Women who have difficulty conceiving, are generally coming into private fertility clinics after their mid-thirties and slightly earlier in the public sector. But this again is late, because they are starting serious investigation and treatment at a time when their fertility is really declining.

"It is also wrong to believe that IVF technology will provide an easy answer. While it is certainly helpful, it is not always a simple matter and couples can find it quite stressful."

"In addition to the problems of conceiving, it is also often not realised that the woman's general health may not be as good as it was in her earlier years, the miscarriage rate is higher and more women also have the problem of endometriosis. It is also more likely that the birth may be complicated, miscarriage is more common and the baby's birth weight may be lower."

"With so much evidence showing the disadvantages of waiting till later to start a family, I would strongly advise any young woman not to delay pregnancy. Careers, travel and material success can wait. One day you will want to celebrate Mothers' Day as a mother and not only as an opportunity to give your own mother the flowers and appreciation that she no doubt deserves."

Note

- Gedis Grudzinskas, MD FRCOG, formerly Emeritus Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at St Bartholomew's Hospital, London, is a leading figure in the fields of Reproductive Medicine, Surgery and Obstetrics and Gynaecology and as a co-founder and medical director of one of the largest NHS and private IVF clinics in Europe. He has spent over 20 years pioneering fertility treatment aimed at providing easy access to first class care in the NHS and independent sector and calling for higher stands.

- Now in consultant gynaecology and infertility practice in Harley Street, he also leads a new team of independent, multi-disciplinary, international fertility experts, at Fertility Focus Professional Services, to offer advice to clinics on how to improve their IVF success rates.

Source
Fertility Focus

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