Advertisement
Average wait time for donated eggs for older women wishing to get pregnantthrough in vitro fertilization (IVF) has nearly doubled in the last two years,REACH doctors said. The increase is due to a national trend toward oldermothering -- spotlighted by TV host Nancy Grace's recent announcement that shehad given birth to twins at age 48.
Advertisement
"More women believe that if they maintain healthy lifestyles they arecapable of achieving pregnancy well into middle age. But the truth is thatafter age 35, a woman's eggs become less viable," said Dr. Nancy Teaff ofREACH.
Celebrities exacerbate the myth by being public about their late lifemotherhood but private about how they did it, Teaff said. Holly Hunter hadtwins at 47, Geena Davis at 48, and Jane Seymour at 44. "Most women that ageuse IVF with donor eggs to become moms," Teaff said. About 12 percent of IVFattempts in 2005 involved the use of donated eggs in the United States,according to the CDC.
Many of REACH's patients are successful career-oriented professionals whodelayed childbearing. When they did not conceive easily they did not seekfertility care as soon as they should have, which further delayed successfultreatment, Teaff said.
REACH doctors hope to raise awareness of the swelling need for donorsthrough radio advertising and Web communications in 2008.
"It's not easy to become a donor; many candidates do not pass the medicalscreening," said Teaff. Potential donors may apply online,http://reachdrs.com/donors/online-donor-application.html.
About Reproductive Endocrinology Associates of Charlotte (REACH)
REACH is led by a nationally recognized team of five physicians who offerstate-of-the-art assistance for infertile couples and women with reproductiveendocrine problems. REACH physicians are widely respected for their superiorpregnancy success rates -- among the highest in the region -- and for thefinest patient care. For more information, visit http://www.REACHdrs.com.
SOURCE Reproductive Endocrinology Associates of Charlotte (REACH)
