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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

Are you over 40 and trying to get pregnant? maximise your chances of conceiving naturally.

Researchers from Yale University found exposure to radiation from mobiles during pregnancy affects the brain development of offspring, potentially leading to greater activity, anxiety and poor memory.

They concluded mobiles could have a negative effect on babies in the womb after studying pregnant mice. However, a group of British scientists have poured scorn on the study labeling it 'alarmist and unjustified.'

They pointed out that the unborn mice would have received a dose of radiation that was proportionally far higher than an unborn baby would get. They added that while the whole bodies of the mice were exposed a pregnant woman would tend to hold their phone a metre away from their uterus.

The experts, from the University College of London, among others, added that a comparison is impossible between rodents and humans because mice are born after just 19 days with a brain that's at a far earlier stage of development compared to human babies.

The introduction of the Yale study, published in the latest issue of the journal Scientific Reports, focuses on the rising number of ADHD cases in children, implying it could be linked to their research in mice.

ADHD is a development disorder characterised by inattention, hyperactivity and impulsiveness. Between three and seven per cent of school-age children suffer from the disorder. Affected children tend to perform poorly at school and are at increased risk of delinquency.

Diagnosis has increased at an average rate of three per year since 1997, making the condition 'a growing public concern,' according to the scientists. The researchers measured the brain electrical activity of adult mice that were exposed to radiation as foetuses and conducted a series of psychological and behavioural tests.

They found that the mice that were exposed to radiation tended to be more hyperactive and had increased anxiety and reduced memory capacity. Senior author Professor Hugh Taylor said: 'We have shown that behavioural problems in mice that resemble ADHD are caused by mobile phone exposure in the womb.

'The rise in behavioural disorders in human children may be in part due to foetal cellular telephone irradiation exposure.' In the study the authors concluded human tests would be needed before 'extrapolating these behavioural findings to humans.' But Prof Taylor, who is a member of EHHI - an organisation 'dedicated to protecting human health from environmental harms through research' - added that limiting a foetus' exposure to mobile phone radiation seemed warranted.

However, Professor Jim Stevenson from the University of Southampton denounced the study as 'irresponsible.' He told the UK charitable trust, Sense about Science: 'There is to date only little evidence of an association,' adding that no evidence from the latest mouse study supported the conjecture.

Professor Katya Rubia, from the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London, added that the link made between mice and humans was 'alarmist and unjustified.'

She said the fact the exposed mice in the study were more active could not be translated to complex disorders such as ADHD. She pointed out that anxiety levels decreased in exposed mice whereas it is typically higher in children with ADHD. Professor Eric Taylor from King's College London said the rate of ADHD problems has actually been steady for more than 20 years and any increase is most probably due to greater recognition of the disorder.

A spokesman from the Health Protection Agency, told Mail Online: 'There is no hard scientific evidence that radio signals from mobile phones pose a risk to public health providing they are within ICNIRP (international body) guidelines.

'Very many studies into the effects of radio waves on health have been published over the past several decades. The authors of this study acknowledge themselves that their work had certain limitations. 'The Health Protection Agency constantly monitors and reviews this scientific research and will consider this study, along with other peer reviewed research, as part of that process.'

The latest controversial study comes just two years after scientists from the University of California, Los Angeles, found children exposed to mobile phones in the womb had a 30 per cent rise in behavioural difficulties at the age of seven. The study looked at 29,000 youngsters, but some British scientists said the findings could be due to lifestyle factors rather than mobiles. They pointed out that mothers glued to their mobiles may very well be less likely to interact as much with their children.

Article: 16th March 2012 www.dailymail.co.uk

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Joanna Darrell, of the Beaumont Society, which helps men who wish to or have changed gender told the newspaper that the unnamed father got in touch to enquire for help having a child after having undergone surgery.

Through the charity, the unnamed man had hormone treatment to reactivate his womb. The womb had not actually been removed during his original surgery. “He got back in touch about six months ago to thank the society for its help and to say he had the baby,” Ms Darrell said.

Thomas Beatie, a trans man who lives legally in his acquired gender in the United States, conceived and has given birth to three children since 2007. His wife Nancy is unable to conceive. The Oregon couple’s first daughter was born in June 2008 and a son followed a year later and a son in 2010.

Despite being legally defined as a man for over ten years and having had some gender reassignment surgery, Beatie kept his female reproductive organs. He is thought to have had natural births with his three children and his wife breastfed both.

Before starting a family, Beatie had been on hormone treatments, but stopped taking them in order to resume menstruating and conceive through artificial insemination. All children were conceived with the help of sperm donors.

Last month, Yuval Topper, became the first Israeli trans man to give birth. Mr Topper underwent gender confirmation surgery three years ago. He was travelling to Jerusalem, but stopped to give birth in Tel Aviv.

There is a cancer risk associated with retaining a uterus and ovaries after they are exposed to high levels of testosterone associated with gender reassignment which means many choose to have them removed. Christopher Inglefield, a surgeon specialising in gender reassignment surgery told the Sunday Times: “The obvious thing is to get them to store eggs before they have the surgery, so they can have babies later using a female surrogate.”

But not everyone is supportive of trans men having children. Trevor Stammers, director of medical ethics at St Mary’s University College told the newspaper: “The fact that the medical profession is facilitating and encouraging this is a serious problem. You are hardly going to end up with a baby that’s going to have a happy, productive and optimal childhood.”

Are you gay, lesbian or transgender, wishing to find a known sperm or egg donor? visit www.prideangel.com

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