Are we leaving it too late to have babies?
2 April 2001
The next major health problem we may have in Australia is that of age related infertility.
Dr Christine Read, Co-ordinator Medical Services FPA Health, has recently conducted research into how women over the age of 35 perceive their fertility and what contraceptive methods they know and use. Dr Read, who has had a strong interest and involvement in reproductive and sexual health for more than 23 years, also looked at how doctors considered the fertility of this age group.
The results showed that many women, and some doctors, think that they are far more fertile than they actually are. This highlights the importance of the necessity for women to bear in mind the loss of fertility after 35 years of age.
Many women seem to believe that they can have it all: career, house and baby—in that order. While many women do achieve all 3, FPA Health is seeing increasing numbers of disappointed women who have left their run too late.
As women today maintain their youthful looks and are more fitness conscious than their predecessors, they often fail to realise that their body clocks are still ticking.
Contraception choices
It came as no surprise that the most popular form of contraception for this age group was sterilisation of either themselves or their partners. Interestingly, the doctor sample was much more positive about hormonal methods of contraception such as the pill.This work has highlighted the necessity for an increasing focus on reproductive education for women and men, and popular media such as myDr and women’s magazines are now helping to address this issue.
Last Reviewed: 08 May 2002
