Waiting for a Baby? Check Your Age
CNN-IBN | Jul 26, 2006
Amrita Tripathi
CNN-IBN
New Delhi: If you take a lesson from Hollywood, it seems you can wait practically forever to have a baby.
Actress Jane Kaczmarek gave birth at age 46. Holly Hunter had twins last month - at the age of 47. And Geena Davis was 48 when she had her twins.
And now - the reality check: Getting pregnant at nearly 50 is extremely difficult.
"The misconception is that you're always going to have eggs and you're always going to have a chance at getting pregnant. Even in 50s and that's not true," says Dr Dorothy Mitchell-Leef, a reproductive specialist.
As a woman ages, her eggs begin to die off. Doctors say fertility actually starts to decrease in your early 30s.
Each month, a 30-year-old woman has a 22% chance of conceiving a baby. A forty-year-old has only an 8 per cent chance of conceiving. And at 50 - less than 1 per cent.
Kristen Ray learned that the hard way. She's only 32, and yet she struggled to get pregnant three years back.
"I was shocked. I'm thinking I'm too young to go through this and this is someone in their late 30s or early 40s going through this, not this early," says Kristen Ray, now a mother.
Kristen needed fertility treatments to get pregnant with Samuel. Now, she's expecting again, after even more treatments than the first time.
As women get into their 30s, they are more likely to encounter fertility problems such as hormone issues or menstrual problems. For women in their 40s, eggs are usually the problem.
Of course, fertility varies greatly woman by woman. But on the other hand, fertility experts say don't wait too long. Having a baby after age 43, often only happens with eggs donated by a much younger woman.
(With inputs from Elizabeth Cohen)
CNN-IBN
New Delhi: If you take a lesson from Hollywood, it seems you can wait practically forever to have a baby.
Actress Jane Kaczmarek gave birth at age 46. Holly Hunter had twins last month - at the age of 47. And Geena Davis was 48 when she had her twins.And now - the reality check: Getting pregnant at nearly 50 is extremely difficult.
"The misconception is that you're always going to have eggs and you're always going to have a chance at getting pregnant. Even in 50s and that's not true," says Dr Dorothy Mitchell-Leef, a reproductive specialist.
As a woman ages, her eggs begin to die off. Doctors say fertility actually starts to decrease in your early 30s.
Each month, a 30-year-old woman has a 22% chance of conceiving a baby. A forty-year-old has only an 8 per cent chance of conceiving. And at 50 - less than 1 per cent.
Kristen Ray learned that the hard way. She's only 32, and yet she struggled to get pregnant three years back.
"I was shocked. I'm thinking I'm too young to go through this and this is someone in their late 30s or early 40s going through this, not this early," says Kristen Ray, now a mother.
Kristen needed fertility treatments to get pregnant with Samuel. Now, she's expecting again, after even more treatments than the first time.
As women get into their 30s, they are more likely to encounter fertility problems such as hormone issues or menstrual problems. For women in their 40s, eggs are usually the problem.
Of course, fertility varies greatly woman by woman. But on the other hand, fertility experts say don't wait too long. Having a baby after age 43, often only happens with eggs donated by a much younger woman.
(With inputs from Elizabeth Cohen)
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