Late mothers – a growing trend.

While thirty years ago a pregnant woman over forty was a rare sight, the number of late mothers is rising year by year. Stars and celebrities such as Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, Gianna Nannini and Monica Bellucci are the new role models and heroines. Since the year 2000, statistics have observed a sharp rise in births in which the woman is older than forty.

Career as a contraceptive

The life plans of modern women no longer have anything to do with their mothers' notions of happiness. Motherhood has long ceased to be the only way to lead a fulfilled life. Many women first complete a solid education in order to be financially independent. In Western Europe, education and study periods are particularly long – so it is no surprise that the proportion of late mothers is especially high among university graduates. "Education and career act like a contraceptive – for women and for men," says Univ.-Prof. Dr. Wilfried Feichtinger, founder of the Wunschbaby Institut Feichtinger in Vienna Hietzing (WIF).

The never-ending search for the right partner is also a frequent reason for a late pregnancy. Only when Prince Charming has come riding in on his white horse and career goals have been achieved do women decide to have children. But by then, the biological clock is usually already ticking.

Biological rush hour

"When women delay family planning, they inevitably end up in a kind of biological rush hour," says Univ.-Prof. Dr. Feichtinger. "Female life expectancy rose from 50 to 80 years over the last century, but menopause still occurs at an average age of 50," says the physician. And even before that, a multi-year phase of infertility begins. Only a relatively short window remains for fulfilling the wish for a child. Women should therefore not put off the decision for a family. "Although most women over 35 are physically healthy and feel fit, natural fertility already begins to decline gradually from the age of 30," says the fertility expert.

Before a planned pregnancy, women should have themselves thoroughly examined to check that everything is organically in order and that ovulation occurs regularly. If that is not the case, a slight hormonal stimulation of ovulation is often enough to give the wish for a child a helping hand. Since one in ten men is now considered infertile or only partially fertile, the partner should also have his sperm quality tested. Univ.-Prof. Dr. Feichtinger: "If the man's semen analysis is unsatisfactory, inseminations can be tried first, i.e. the transfer of the male sperm into the woman's genital tract – or one performs in vitro fertilisation, in short: IVF, the much-cited fertilisation in a glass."

A special form of IVF is the so-called ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection). "With this method of assisted fertilisation, the sperm cell of the man is injected directly into the cytoplasm of an egg. A failure of fertilisation can thereby practically be ruled out," says the doctor. If medically necessary, sperm is retrieved directly from the testicle by means of PESA. Univ.-Prof. Dr. Feichtinger: "If all methods remain unsuccessful, our institute also offers the possibility of fertilisation with donor sperm, i.e. the help of a sperm bank. This method, however, is not combined with an IVF, but is carried out by vaginal insemination."

Independently of this, the Wunschbaby Institut Feichtinger, as one of the first fertility centres worldwide, is specialised in determining all chromosomes of the egg (PGD = preimplantation genetic diagnosis on the polar body of the egg). With this procedure, the right and "good" eggs can be selected for fertilisation and transfer. This method is combined with in vitro fertilisation and is particularly ideal for late mothers, that is, for patients of advanced age.

"All methods are individually adapted to the medical and also psychological needs of the woman," says Univ.-Prof. Dr. Feichtinger. "Feeling comfortable is important to us. And patients who wish for a child must feel well cared for and safe all round, because the psyche is also an important parameter when it comes to the happiness of having children."

Late pregnancy from a medical perspective

From a medical perspective, a late pregnancy beyond forty is not a problem. "If older pregnant women receive optimal medical care, they have just as great a chance of giving birth to a healthy, normally developed child as younger women," says Univ.-Prof. Dr. Feichtinger. Older pregnant women even have a clear advantage: doctors have observed that they avoid stress, exercise regularly, eat more healthily and sleep more than young mothers-to-be. "More mature women make a conscious decision for a child," says the doctor. "They enjoy the pregnancy more and take care of their bodies." Even though from the age of 35 the entry "high-risk pregnancy" is noted in the maternity record, there is no cause for concern for healthy pregnant women over forty.