Late Motherhood: Health Story

Aired on Lifetime Television
Sunday, January 29 and March 12, 2006

Show 304

First births to mothers 40-44 years old have jumped 70 percent from 1991 to 2001. Late marriages are contributing to this trend. Kathleen Anderson had triplets when she was 46. "It's an every day occurrence for 42 and 43 year olds to walk into my office," says Dr. Arthur Wisot of Reproductive Partners Medical Group at UCLA. Late motherhood is a medical reality, but it can be a challenge. "Women lose eggs during their lifetime," says Dr. Margareta Pisarska of the Center for Reproductive Medicine at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles. "Egg quality as well as quantity goes down," she adds. But there are hormone-based drugs available which stimulate egg production. And older mothers are more mature. "It's more than worth it," says Kathleen about entering motherhood later in life.