Never before in the history of mankind has it been possible for women to continue to give birth till such an advanced age – new advancements in IVF technology means that is now possible even for women in their 50s to become mothers and statistics show that this number is increasing.
Last year, over a hundred women over the age of 50 became mothers in the UK; this was an increase of 55% over the year previous to it.
Most women, who manage to become mothers past the age of 50, do so with the aid of donated eggs or embryos.
Older mothers who choose to put off motherhood are often at the receiving end of a lot of criticism for putting their careers and themselves before motherhood.
Also older mothers are criticized for their desire to become a parent taking precedence over the welfare of the child.
However, it is true that 50 today is not what fifty was earlier. Not only are women healthier and fitter today than they were some time back, they also take greater care of themselves, says Simon Thornton, group medical director of a chain of fertility clinics. Also women tend to be wiser and more patient later on in their life, when compared to their youth.
