Just because more women choose to have children later in life (Report, 13 July) does not mean their ability to conceive is undiminished. While a woman’s ability to conceive may not exactly fall off a cliff, all scientific evidence demonstrates that conception rates decline fairly rapidly after a woman reaches 35 years of age – a reflection of the decline in egg number and quality in her ovaries. Of course women can have children over the age of 35 but it can take much longer, is more difficult, and often requires the help of assisted conception techniques such as IVF, and sometimes donor eggs. It is important that this data is interpreted within the correct context, and is not simply taken as evidence that women are able to easily conceive over the age of 40.
Professor Stuart Campbell
Create Fertility, London
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