Having children later in life is becoming the norm

WHEN the Daily Echo revealed how a 42-year-old woman had been removed from a waiting list for fertility treatment that could have given her the child she longed for, it made front page news.

Ten years ago the whole subject of women having children past the age of 40 was not even up for debate.

Due to social changes and technological advances, having children later in life is becoming the norm as statistics show that in the UK there are more first-time mothers in the 30 to 34 age group than in the 20 to 24 age group.

Compared with ten years ago there has been a 50 per cent increase in the number of women over 40 who are giving birth.

The trend is largely down to the role of the woman changing dramatically over recent years.

Couples are putting their careers and personal goals first before starting a family. Taking time to travel the world and experience life is also delaying the early onset of family life.

Modern mums are more likely to plan their pregnancies so they are financially and psychologically more prepared to have children.

And there is no shortage of role models in the public eye who have had children in later life.

Prime Minister's wife Cherie Blair, pictured, celebrated the birth of Leo when Cherie was aged 45.

Celebrities also starting families later include Madonna. Having had her daughter Lourdes at the age of 38 Madonna gave birth to her first son with husband Guy Richie at the age of 41.

Courtney Cox-Arquette and husband David celebrated the birth of their daughter, named Coco, when the Friends star was a few days short of her 40th birthday.

When to start a family is reportedly what caused martial difficulties between Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt.

While Brad was apparently keen to become a dad, Jennifer wanted to establish a movie career before having children.

Women choosing to have children in their 30s and even 40s are more likely to experience difficulties conceiving. But thanks to advances in IVF the age factor is no longer a barrier for women wanting to start a family later in life.

Now it has come to the point where demand is far outweighing supply.

The 42-year-old Hampshire woman was removed from the waiting list at Southampton clinic Wessex Fertility because doctors felt there was no prospect of her being treated due to a lack of donors.

Having already undergone attempts using her own eggs the woman from Chandler's Ford, who has already spent more than £8,000 on treatment, felt this was the last opportunity for her and her 38-year-old partner of five years to have a child.

Now she, like many other women who are being turned away from clinics because of their age, is considering travelling abroad for treatment sparking the phenomenon known as "fertility tourism".

"It is something we have been discussing as a result of being taken off the list. This is what we want and if it is an option then we will consider it," she said.

The lack of donors is a problem being felt nationwide and one that experts predicted would happen with the change in law regarding IVF treatment coming into effect this week.

As of April 1 anyone donating sperm or eggs can be traced by any offspring produced from them once they reach the age of 18.

The British Fertility Society said that donor stocks had depleted since the idea was first mooted in 1996 and have since continued to plummet.

The options are either for stocks to be bolstered by importing sperms and eggs from other countries or for the patient to themselves make the trip abroad where fertility laws are more relaxed.

Wessex Fertility boss Dr Gordon Masson added: "Travelling abroad for treatment is certainly being more of an option for some people, but that health tourism concept is only available to those who can afford it, and that cannot be right."