What do Sharon Stone, Joan Lunden, Geena Davis, Cheryl Tiegs, Susan Sarandon, Diane Keaton and Jane Seymour have in common?
They all became moms after their 40th birthdays.
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A couple of generations ago, children were born mostly to mothers in their 20s and early 30s. According to StatsCan, the growing trend for Canadian women to have children later in life continues, as nearly half of those who gave birth in 2003 were age 30 and older. That's a change from two decades ago when three-quarters of moms in Canada were under 30.
The reasons for women choosing to have children later in life are a result of today's ever-changing lifestyles. Some women like to get their careers firmly in place before deciding to start a family. Other women find themselves in second marriages and wanting to have children with a new partner.
According to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, for a woman under 30, the chance of becoming pregnant is estimated to be about 20 per cent. For women aged 30 to 40, that number drops to five per cent. After the age of 35, there's a significant decline in fertility. Once a woman turns 40, her fertility drops even further. It's estimated that only 10 per cent of women over the age of 40 will be able to conceive. That's where fertility therapy, egg donors and surrogate mothers come in.
Apart from the medical challenges of motherhood after 40, there are a lot of positives surrounding motherhood later in life. Jan Andersen hosts Mothers Over 40, a U.K.-based website (www.mothersover40.com) that offers encouragement and inspiration to older parents around the world. She dispels the notion that older parents are susceptible to periods of ill health and won't have the benefit of a long relationship with their children.
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"You can also become sick at any age, so don't assume that just because you don't have a child until you are in your 40s, you won't be around to see your son or daughter when he or she grows up. Besides, it is quality of time and not quantity that is the most important, and a child who is brought into a secure and loving environment by a middle-aged couple is more likely to thrive than a child brought into an unstable home by young parents."
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