What do you think of this ???

Bez · Post by **Bez** » Thu May 04, 2006 6:00 am

Woman to be oldest mother at 63

The oldest known woman to give birth in Britain was 60

A woman is set to become Britain's oldest mother at the age of 63 after treatment by a controversial Italian fertility doctor.

Child psychiatrist Patricia Rashbrook, of East Sussex, flew to Rome last October for IVF by Severino Antinori, according to the Sun newspaper.

She is now reported to be seven months' pregnant with her third child.

In a joint statement with her husband, John Farrant, she said the decision had not been taken lightly.

We are very happy to have given life to an already much-loved baby

Farrants' statement

The statement read: "A great deal of thought has been given to planning and providing for the child's present and future well-being, medically, socially and materially.

"We are very happy to have given life to an already much-loved baby, and our wish now is to give him the peace and security he needs."

The couple said they were pleased with the pregnancy "notwithstanding its unusual and potentially controversial aspects".

Refusing to go into details of the treatment received, the future parents insisted the child's welfare was their top priority and asked for their privacy to be respected.

It's pretty clear that she would have needed donor eggs because of her age

Dr Allan Pacey

Secretary of the British Fertility Society

Dr Rashbrook, whose married name is Mrs Farrant, is reported to have conceived after treatment at Dr Antinori's clinic in Rome, where he specialises in treating older women.

He first made headlines in 1994 by helping a post-menopausal 63-year-old woman become pregnant with donor eggs and hormones.

And he has said he wanted to be the first doctor to produce a cloned human baby.

There is no age limit for fertility treatment set down in UK law, and whether a particular person is treated is left to the clinical judgment of doctors.

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Nature puts a stop to fertility and prevents fertility for a reason.

Ryan, Rome, Italy

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But a spokesman for the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority clinics must take into account the welfare of the child, including the health, age and ability to provide for the needs of the child or children.

Health risks?

Most British fertility experts hold back from treating women aged over 45 because of these issues.

But secretary to the British Fertility Society and senior lecturer at Sheffield University, Dr Allan Pacey, said that older women are able to get pregnant fairly easily using IVF but she would have needed donor eggs because of her age.

"My understanding is that an older women with a younger woman's donor eggs will have the same success rate applicable to the younger woman.

"She would have needed hormonal treatment to get her body to respond in the right way. As long as there's nothing wrong with the womb it should be OK."

"However, there are some health risks associated with older women getting pregnant, they are more likely to get high blood pressure, diabetes develop problems with the placenta and then need a cesarian section.

"On the whole, its not to be recommended."

'Selfish'

The reports of Dr Rashbroook's pregnancy have sparked outcry from pro-life groups.

Josephine Quintavalle, from Comment on Reproductive Ethics (Core), said it would be extremely difficult for a child to have a mother who is as old as a grandmother would be.

She added: "It is just that consumer society that wants absolutely everything, and never stops to think that a child is not a product.

"She is being selfish and sometimes greater love is saying no."

Dr Rashbrook is not the first woman in her 60s to become a new mother.

Liz Buttle, from Wales, was 60 years old when she gave birth to a son called Joseph in 1997.

The oldest woman in the world to give birth is thought to be Adriana Iliescu, from Romania, who had a daughter called Eliza Maria in January last year at the age of 66.

pantsonfire321@aol.com · Thu May 04, 2006 6:12 am

Blimey i'm 36 and if i have another child i would be classed as an older mother ..what age did you say she was ????

Bez · Post by **Bez** » Thu May 04, 2006 6:17 am

She's 63

I keep imagining my 10 yr old grandsons with a 73 year old mother....it just doesn't make sense to me....

chrisb84uk · Post by **chrisb84uk** » Thu May 04, 2006 6:23 am

I have to agree with you all, I think that at the age of 63, that's over stepping the bounderies somewhat. As you say, exactly how much time will she be able to spend time with her new born. And if she dies within the next 20 years or so, who will look after him/her. Does it mention how old the husband is??

Bez · Post by **Bez** » Thu May 04, 2006 6:58 am

The statement read: "A great deal of thought has been given to planning and providing for the child's present and future well-being, medically, socially and materially. ????

The father's 61 Chris !!

Are you all ready for tomorrow ? Today is going so slow....

chrisb84uk · Post by **chrisb84uk** » Thu May 04, 2006 7:16 am

Bez wrote: The statement read: "A great deal of thought has been given to planning and providing for the child's present and future well-being, medically, socially and materially. ????

The father's 61 Chris !!

Are you all ready for tomorrow ? Today is going so slow....

So he's around the same age as she is then. thought that.

All ready, well yes I do believe so. I was just double checking all my millions of maps that I printed out just in case hahaha. I must admit I am very excited, yet still nervous about the trip. I really just hope I don't end up on the train or tube to the middle of no-where hahaha.

Raven · Post by **Raven** » Thu May 04, 2006 4:44 pm

What is this lady thinking??? For god's sakes why??

Uncle Kram · Post by **Uncle Kram** » Fri May 05, 2006 8:07 am

The kid will soon get fed up of the kids at school (and the other moms at the school gate) thinking his mom is his gran

Bez · Post by **Bez** » Mon May 08, 2006 9:47 am

Uncle Kram wrote: The kid will soon get fed up of the kids at school (and the other moms at the school gate) thinking his mom is his gran

Great Gran by the time he gets to school

chonsigirl · Post by **chonsigirl** » Mon May 08, 2006 10:20 am

Will she live long enough to raise the baby?

Bez · Post by **Bez** » Mon May 08, 2006 11:22 am

ArnoldLayne wrote: There must be a law put into place to prevent this happening in the future. Doesn't nature determine when a woman has reached an age where she should not carry and give birth. Its called the menopause. That happens at about 45-55 years old, so somewhere there should be the cut off point.

If anything happens to a young mother, her parents are often available to look after the child. In this case there will be no one

I'm not sure there are 'laws' that cover the age limit, but i do believe that there are 'codes of conduct' that state an age group of 51 or 52 is the max .... apparently there have been 'natural' births at this age. I think that extra 10 years makes an awful lot of difference.

ilona17 · Post by **ilona17** » Tue May 16, 2006 3:00 pm

[Yea i gotta say thats bad, i used to get laughed and picked on at school because my parents were older then their parents. Once when my dad came to pick me up one of the children said look there's your grandad come to pick you up, To be honest now im older it doesnt bother me. But at the time it really hurt my feelings and got me kind of confused. I think its selfish of her to want this child. She will hardly be able to do many physical things with the child that they may want to