Stay Fertile Longer [Hardcover]

It's true that a woman's general health may play a role in her fertility (and certainly in her ability to carry a healthy pregnancy), and that certain medical problems can drastically increase the risk of infertility (untreated polycystic ovary syndrome, STDs). This book might be useful in suggesting some testing that women in their early 30s might do to help them decide how long it might be relatively safe to delay trying to conceive.

But this book also contains some of the same hype that makes women mistakenly confident that they can easily get pregnant with their own eggs after age 40 (or even 45!):

"You can have it all. A challenging career. A satisfying personal life. A loving mate. And a baby when you're ready." (back cover)

"In addition to the women's revolution and the technological boom weighing in on the age of childbearing, it's become downright fashionable to be a mature mom. Our superstars are looking more capable and beautiful than ever with a baby in tow, including Geena Davis (first-time mom at age 46), Madonna (second-time mom at 41), Kim Basinger (gave birth at 44), and Susan Sarandon (who had babies at 39, 42, and 45). Former *cover* girls are now focused on their *baby* girls (and boys) including over-40 moms Christie Brinkley, Iman, and Cheryl Tiegs (mother of twins at 52 who used a surrogate to carry the babies, although the eggs were her own)." (pp 4-5)

It's true that most women can get PREGNANT and GIVE BIRTH in their 40s, but what this isn't telling you is that a very significant percentage cannot get pregnant with their own eggs in their 40s, and a majority cannot get pregnant with their own eggs in their late 40s. If a woman is happy to go through several cycles of in vitro fertilization, spend tens of thousands of dollars for the medical procedures and the egg donor, and become pregnant with the genetic baby of another woman (as most of the celebrities mentioned above did), then yes, medical technology has much to offer - and that's wonderful! I don't at all mean to suggest anything negative about this way to become a mother. But many women reading the tabloids and this book may not understand that that route (or adoption) is the route that they very well may HAVE to take if they delay childbearing until their 40s or perhaps even to their late 30s. As a woman who didn't find my husband and marry until age 35, I understand well that there are plenty of weighty reasons not to have children younger, and I'm all in favor of options. But I hope women's decisions will be informed ones. This book is a mixed bag when it comes to helping women be informed.

More books need to be written about this! There are helpful suggestions, and I will be putting it on my website www.fertilityfair.com

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