Motherhood in 50s? Not impossible any longer!

New Delhi, Sept. 22: Wanting to be a mother again or even for the first time at an age when generally women have hit menopause ( after turning 50) has become a possibility, with better chances and more success rates.

On one hand, medical advances have given career- oriented, independent women the choice to delay their pregnancy successively; while on the other, women can choose to have a second or third child at the age.

There are women who may have gotten married late or those who want to have childrenin second marriages; some were too busy to pursue a career as well as also those who simply wanted to have a second child, but after a long break, planned a late pregnancy.

Dr Kusum Sahni, Senior Consultant, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Fortis Lafemme, New Delhi, said, “Planning a child in one's early 30s maximises the chances of pregnancy. However, a significant number of women are trying to become pregnant in their later age. Becoming a mother in one's late 40s or in 50s is difficult but is not impossible anymore.”

However, according to Dr Sahni, late pregnancy has its own limitation. Older women face health risks which include a high risk of developing gestational diabetes and hypertension, Down's syndrome, IUGR, stillbirth and a preterm delivery. With the advancement of technology and medical science, the chances of motherhood at late age are a reality. There are three ways to become pregnant after the 40' s, each with their own probability of success and these are:

Natural conception; in vitro fertilisation ( IVF) using own eggs; in vitro fertilisation ( IVF) using donor's eggs; natural pregnancy in 50s.

Fertility is a matter of age. The older the woman, the lesser are her chances of spontaneous conception. Today, health- conscious women spend a lot of money to retain their youth, but the reality check comes while trying to become pregnant after the 30s.

A woman is born with all the eggs at the time of birth, thus the older a woman gets less chances of her being left with healthy eggs, thereby decreasing the chances of her getting pregnant. Hence, the risks of having malformed babies also increases manifold. Chances of baby being born with genetic disorder are one in 2500 for a woman in her 20s and increases to one in 350 in her 40s.