Message from Dr Susan Bewley to M35+...

[admin]

Ladies, I have been talking to Dr Bewley and she has a special message for us:-

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I'm so sorry about the recent media excitement and any upset or distress that may have been caused to older women and mothers who contact you. I am not in control of the way my concerns appear in the press and the last thing I want to do is insult anyone.

I think the birth of a baby and new motherhood are joyous at any and all ages. However, my colleagues and I have been concerned about the increasing distress and complications we are seeing in our professional lives as obstetricians and gynaecologists. There is a rising amount of infertility, miscarriage and complications of pregnancy as the average age of childbearing goes up. Although most pregnancies over the age of 35 go very well, there are a minority of women who have problems, some very serious.

By 40 fertility has fallen dramatically and half of all pregnancies end in miscarriage. IVF is both expensive and usually doesn't work. Half of the successful IVF pregnancies over 40 use ovum donation (which also has associated problems).

The comparison (and contrast) with teenage pregnancy was to point out that: (a) there are problems at each end of the reproductive spectrum: one more social, the other more medical and (b) whilst the number of teenage pregnancies is falling nationally, the numbers over 35 years (which I've called middle-age for want of a better label) are much higher and rising dramatically. This is why its a public health issue as collectively we are seeing that reproduction is riskier (maybe its not the right comparison, but the nation is also getting fatter and that brings more ill-health with it).

I think its dreadful to stigmatise teenagers in the first place, and to 'blame' or point fingers at older mothers in the second place. What I'm concerned about is why, over the last 30 years or so, women are having babies later and later, with more risks, when we are generally much more 'risk-averse' nowadays. There is some evidence that its a mixture of factors (suitable partner, husband not ready, career, financial, infertility) and its not a simple issue of "choice". Nevertheless, I'd like women to have good information as a starting point and I will be forwarding my review article to Mothers 35 Plus once it is published in the autumn.

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For those that want to read the original article in the Sunday Times again, here is the link.

Q & A with Dr Bewley

Additionally, I have asked her if she would do a Q & A session for us in the Autumn. She says that she would be delighted to do so, so if you have a question for her please get thinking. She will choose the best twenty or so questions and the resulting interview will be on the main part of Mothers 35 Plus.