26 June, 2009 00:00
CHILEAN WOMEN ATTEMPT PREGNANCY AT LATER AGES
Posted by adoc admin at 26 June, 2009 00:00 [ Women ]
The number of women aged 35 to 40 undergoing fertility treatments has increased from 35 percent to 47 percent during the last three years, according the Chilean Fertility Association.
This trend isn't unique to Chile and corresponds to a global phenomenon of delayed maternity and, in response, the demand for fertility treatment by older women.
Great Britain's Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists in June published a health report on the greater risks of infertility, miscarriage, and health problems faced by pregnant women over 35. Approximately 19 percent of all pregnant women in the U.K. are 40 years old, a figure that has more than doubled since the 1980s.
"Many women feel that they must delay pregnancy until their circumstances in employment allow it," says Louise Silverton, General Secretary of the Royal College of Midwives. "The key issue is that they should receive sound information about the risks of giving birth later in life."
The same trend can be seen at Santiago's Instituto Valenciano de Infertilidad (IVI), says Instituto director Carlos Troncoso. The average age of patients undergoing fertility treatment is 38.
Gonzalo Duke, the chief of the Reproductive Medicine Unit at the Cl?nica Las Condes, also confirms this pattern: "Infertile women who consult the clinic are two years older than some years ago. That's why we have more women above the age of 35 seeking out fertility treatment even with all the consequences of which it entails."
After postponing motherhood for a number of years, a woman's chance of pregnancy decreases while her risk of spontaneous miscarriage increases, explains Troncoso. A woman is most fertile at the age 16. Past age 35 the fertility curve drops due to the depleted ovarian reserves and the lesser quality of the available ovum. This means the possibility of fertilizing an egg is less likely, and if realized, the embryo may lack the capacity of implanting itself in the uterus.
When a woman decides to undergo fertility treatment later in life, adds Dr. Duke, it requires more procedures, heavier doses of medication, or lengthier treatment cycles to achieve the desired result. Although the medication permits women to become pregnant, the treatment's success rate decreases as woman delay asking for it. At age 25, the treatment has a 65 percent success rate. At age 40 it falls to 20 percent.
http://www.santiagotimes.cl/santiagotimes/index.php/2009062516555/news/political-news/chilean-women-attempt-pregnancy-at-later-ages.html
http://www.santiagotimes.cl/santiagotimes/index.php/2009062516555/news/political-news/chilean-women-attempt-pregnancy-at-later-ages.html
