Women age 35-45 feel judged for leaving it too late to have children

More than 60 per cent of women aged 35 to 45 who do not have children but want them feel judged for ‘leaving it too late’, a poll has found. The survey of 500 women who wanted children – including those undergoing treatment or still looking for the right partner – revealed friends and family are the ones who put the most pressure on, with 40 per cent saying they were too embarrassed to talk about fertility, even to those closest to them. Of those women who had already undergone fertility treatment, almost half waited four months or longer before a clinical assessment and nearly a third waited more than a year before receiving any treatment. The research was carried out by Infertility Network UK, with funding from pharmaceutical company Merck Serono, to tie in with National Infertility Awareness Week, which runs until Sunday and aims to highlight the impact infertility has on people’s lives, explain what options are out there for people struggling to conceive, and get more people talking about the subject. Clare Lewis-Jones, chief executive of the support organisation, said: “We need to promote a more open discussion about fertility. “Feelings of embarrassment and being judged are ultimately preventing some women seeking the help they need for their fertility problems.” The News spoke to a 40-year-old Cambridge woman who is currently trying for a child and has had fertility tests, but wished to remain anonymous. She said: “I am very lucky that I have family members who work in the medical profession and I can speak openly about this subject but I know it is not easy. “There is a perception in society, and I think the media has a lot to do with this, that if you are not married and with a child by a certain age then you are some sort of spinster. “Women are judged, particularly by men and there is pressure. While science has developed in the form of fertility treatments, there is still some way to go for attitudes to catch up, so no wonder it can be scary asking your doctor about it. “I think it would help if there were more ways to approach experts anonymously to begin with as one of the most important things is knowing your options.” Cambridgeshire’s Bourn Hall was where IVF pioneers gynaecologist Patrick Steptoe and reproductive biologist Robert Edwards founded a clinic and first developed the techniques and drugs now used worldwide to successfully fertilise a human egg outside the body and transfer the resulting embryo to the womb. IVF is just one of a number of fertility treatments now available, and Bourn Hall is the largest provider of NHS funded IVF treatment for patients in the East of England. A spokesman for the clinic, which is also backing the first ever Infertility Awareness Week, said: “We recommend if you are concerned about your fertility you speak to your GP who, if appropriate, will then refer you to a consultant at your local hospital. “We work closely with hospitals across the region to offer continuity of care. If you are referred for IVF treatment, you can normally get an appointment with Bourn Hall within a few weeks.” Various activities are set to run during the week, both online and off, and are open to all. Amateur chefs are invited to take part in the ‘Great Cake Bake’ by holding their own cake bake – email admin@infertilitynetworkuk.com and the team will send a ‘Great Cake Bake’ pack with poster and sheet of rice paper cake toppers to help decorate your cakes. Article: 28th October 2013 www.cambridge-news.co.uk Read more about improving your chances of conceiving using the DuoFertility monitor

Women shocked to find they need IVF at age 40 to conceive

Nearly half of women who became pregnant through in vitro fertilization (IVF) after age 40 say they were "shocked" to discover they needed fertility treatments, a new study finds. In the study, the researchers at the University of California, San Francisco interviewed women from 61 families — including heterosexual couples, lesbian couples and single women — who conceived and delivered children via IVF after age 40. The interviews were done between 2009 and 2011. "We found that women did not have a clear understanding of the age at which fertility begins to decline," the researchers wrote in their study, published online Nov. 30 in the journal Human Reproduction. Most women thought their fertility would last longer than it did. For instance, 31 percent said they expected to get pregnant without difficulty at age 40. "Very few participants had considered the possibility that they would need IVF, and 44 percent reported being ‘shocked’ and ‘alarmed’ to discover that their understandings of the rapidity of age-related reproductive decline were inaccurate," the researchers wrote. However, fewer than a quarter of these women said they would have tried to get pregnant earlier if they had more information about declining fertility, the study found. For women in the study, "personal-life circumstances would not have encouraged them to begin childbearing earlier than they did," the researchers wrote. Along with a decline in the chance of conceiving naturally, the chance of successfully having a baby via IVF also declines with age — the chance of success with one cycle of IVF treatment drops from 41 percent at age 35, to 4 percent after age 42. Studies have shown the general public is not aware of the extent of this decline, the researchers said. Three-quarters of the women said they felt lucky about successfully conceiving through IVF. The researchers noted that their study participants were a selected group of women, and the study was retrospective. Studies that follow women forward over time, and test other populations are needed to confirm the results. According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, infertility affects nearly 12 percent of reproductive-age women in the U.S. Part of the reason for this is cultural trend of women delaying childbearing, according to the study. One in five women now has her first child after age 35, an eightfold increase compared with a generation ago. When the researchers probed into why the study participants held mistaken beliefs about fertility, 28 percent said that incorrect information from friends, doctors or the media reinforced the idea that older women could easily become pregnant. For example, a 42-year-old woman recalled thinking, "Everyone’s having babies at 42 … all the superstars are having them," according to the study. About a quarter of participants said their beliefs stemmed from messages about preventing pregnancy they had received since adolescence. One woman wrote, "It’s like, all of our lives we’re terrified we’re going to get pregnant too soon and have a child and ruin our lives … and, actually, it’s not that easy." A quarter of participants also said their beliefs were based on their mothers’, sisters’ or their own previous fertility. It remains unclear exactly what can be done to better educate women about fertility. Researchers have been slow to get information about fertility declines out to the public, according to the study. For example, a 1982 report from French researchers was the first large study to show a decline in artificial insemination success rates as women aged, but it wasn't until 2000 that the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) recommended that women over 35 trying to conceive be counseled and treated more quickly than younger women. And messages about declining fertility could also have "unwelcome social implications," the researchers said. A public education campaign that the ASRM undertook between 2000 and 2002 was criticized for pressuring women to have children before they were ready, and for undermining women's efforts to become educated and have careers. However, the trend of women delaying childbearing has continued, and data show that IVF can only partly offset fertility declines. "These projections make a case for renewed attempts to educate women and men about the known parameters of fertility at all life stages," the researchers wrote. Article: 10th December 2012 www.livescience.com

Women over 40 warned that IVF will not rewind their biological clock

Women in their 40s expect fertility treatment to rewind their ‘biological clock’, and are upset when they find out they can’t have babies, warns a top fertility specialist.
Demand for IVF from older women is rising dramatically, but they don’t realise the chances of success are limited, said Pasquale Patrizio, of the Yale Fertility Center in the U.S. He said the latest research showed success rates for women aged 42 and over had stayed static at less than 10 per cent.

Even if a woman conceives, being older makes it less likely a live baby will be born and pushes up the risk of abnormalities. Professor Patrizio said: ‘There is an alarming misconception about fertility among women. As clinicians, we should begin educating women more aggressively.’

He and his colleagues have noticed more women coming to their fertility clinic at age 43 or older, expecting that pregnancy can be instantly achieved. He added: ‘We are really seeing more and more patients upset after failing in having their own biological child after age 43 so we had to report on this.

‘Their typical reaction is, “what do you mean you cannot help me? I am healthy, I exercise, and I cannot have my own baby?’’’ The latest report comes as UK figures show 40-somethings are becoming pregnant at more than double the rate of two decades ago.

But there is growing concern among British doctors over the ‘epidemic of pregnancy’ in women in middle age. Some of the country’s leading fertility specialists have warned that women who put off having children are ‘defying nature’ and risk never becoming mothers.

The Yale researchers said women who delayed pregnancies in their most fertile years were ‘vaguely aware’ that fertility decreased with age, but only when they experienced age-related infertility first-hand did they begin to understand the reality of their situation.

Britain's oldest first time mum: Sue Tollefsen says she made a mistake in waiting until she was 57 to give birth to daughter Freya. The growing popularity of assisted reproductive technologies (ART) has given women the impression that female fertility may be manipulated at any stage in life, and the problem is made worse by images of celebrities who seem to effortlessly give birth at advanced ages, said Professor Patrizio. U.S. figures show the number of IVF cycles performed between 2003 and 2009 for women aged over 40 increased by 41 per cent – four times as fast as for women aged under 35.

Professor Patrizio said: ‘Even though the number of women turning to ART has increased, the number of IVF cycles resulting in pregnancy in women above age 42 has mostly remained static at 9 per cent.

‘If pregnancy is achieved at an older age, women then face higher risk of pregnancy loss, birth defects, and other complications. ‘Women should be given the appropriate information about postponing fertility, obstetric risks, and the limited success of ART in advanced age to allow them to make informed decisions about when, if at all, they hope to become pregnant.’ Professor Patrizio said women should take advantage of egg-freezing if they wanted to postpone motherhood.

Alternative options such as egg donation, which leads to the highest pregnancy rates reported for any type of fertility treatment, are also available. He added: ‘There is an urgent need to educate women that reproductive ageing is irreversible and, more importantly that there are options to safeguard against the risk of future infertility.’

Last month, Britain’s oldest first-time mother, Sue Tollefsen, admitted she had made a mistake in waiting until she was 57. She regretted not having a baby earlier because she might not be around to see her daughter grow up.

Article: 6th April 2012 www.dailymail.co.uk