Women having babies in their 40s.

This article was mostly about the dangers of women having babies in their 40s, particulalry with the new techologies of IVF and egg donation. I found the following excerpts interesting though!

“At the moment, doctors are not telling women about the risks, and even when they do, the women often don’t take it in. What you have to remember is that some of these women who become pregnant with IVF techniques are fundamentally unwell – they are not good breeders and they are at high risk of both morbidity and mortality.”

When Cherie Blair gave birth to her fourth child at the age of 45, the Prime Minister was widely admired for his virility and uniqueness at becoming a father while in office.

But it may be that the conception of Leo, now five, was down to Mrs Blair’s genes rather than her husband’s potency. Scientists have identified a certain type of genetic make-up in women who have continued to be able to become pregnant naturally over the age of 45.

Researchers from the Hadassah University Hospital in Jerusalem studied 250 Ashkenazi Jewish women, all of whom had children in their late forties and all of whom did not use contraception. Eighty per cent of the women in the study had at least six children, as well as a low miscarriage rate.

The researchers tested eight of the women and studied their genetic make up compared to a control group of non-Ashkenazi women. They found the Ashkenazi women had a pattern of gene expression which appeared to protect against DNA damage and cell death in the ovaries.

Dr Neri Laufer, who led the research, said his team had proved that the “pregnancy” genes were not unique to these particular Jewish women because they had also been found in Bedouin women.

He added: “We hope that this will lead to better understanding of the ageing process and improve our ability to preserve fertility in older women.”

Please browse my Amazon sales and eBay items!