Hot Topic (7/18): Should women over 50 get pregnant?

[Cafe GroupAdmin]

 From CNN.com: 

(CNN) -- The average American woman can live long enough to celebrate her 80th birthday, so if a woman is able to become pregnant using in vitro fertilization with a donor egg at 56, she could still watch her child grow into an adult. But just because it's possible, does that mean she should?

Some feel that having children after 45 is unfair because the parents might not live to see the kids become adults.

The death of 69-year-old Maria del Carmen Bousada of Spain, who used in vitro fertilization with a donor egg to have twin boys at 66, has the fertility treatment community bracing for a backlash. It could rival the fallout from octuplet mom Nadya Suleman -- and it seems to have already started.

 * * *

What do you think?

Is it irresponsible for a woman to have a child at an advanced age?

What about a man?  Should men father children later in life?

[Eilish]

I think that is a personal matter that we have no right to have a say in.

[MemawBrie]

 While I agree that it's a personal matter that we have no say in, statistics have shown that the older a woman is when she gets pregnant, the more risk she runs for having a baby with complications.  The risk of Down Syndrome increases greatly after the age of 40.  I know not all women who give birth after that age have children born with Downs, look at Sarah, she was at least 100 yrs old!  I don't remember reading anything about there being anything wrong with Isaac ;-)

[Imsupermom2]

I think a women of any age, married and responsible has the right to have a child regardless of age. It's no more outrageous then a 15 year old having one 

[Godgaveme4]

Women over the age of 50 having babies is not a new idea.  They have been doing it forever.  I think it is definitely a personal decision between the woman and the man.

[jaxTheMom]

Def a personal decision but as a previous poster said, certain risks do go up over 40.  It's something I think about whenever I consider "one last" baby!

[EireLass]

As a woman over 50....I vote....NO

[iluvmommyhood58]

It is a personal matter. I'm sure anyone who wanted to do this would be informed and warned by her doctor of any risks. I can say I don't understand why anyone would want to do this, you'd be nearing 70 when your kid graduated high school... but, people have the right, by all means. People have the right to make what is, in OPINION, a poor decision.

[ain-gell72]

damn straight!

and for the record... a man can reproduce far into his late life, whereas a woman may need or want the help of advanced therepy from drs into her later life.

Quoting Eilish:

I think that is a personal matter that we have no right to have a say in.

[margroc]

I am pro-choice so believe that decisions regarding a woman's body and what she does with it belong to her. 

I am 49 and for myself, no thank you - not that I don't adore babies and wish I had had more children, but I'm tired now with an 18 year old and a cat!!! LOL

[360]

I agree it is a personal decision.  We need to tread very carefully when we start to think that it is ok to put ANY reproductive limits on people.   Especially, if we are all forced into government health care.