Is the clock really ticking for you?

Aug 9 2009 by Karen Wilson, Sunday Sun

WHEN is the best time to start a family? KAREN WILSON reports on the great age debate

WHEN it comes to motherhood, doctors and scientists all agree, there’s no single age that is defined as “the perfect time” to have a baby.

Get pregnant under the age of 20 and you’re still considered a baby yourself . . . do it over 40 and you’re termed “over the hill”.

While there’s a definite trend for starting a family later in life – 50 percent more mums aged 40-44 are having babies than just 10 years ago – it doesn’t mean that having a baby in your forties is possible for all women.

Mr Isaac Evbuomwan, a consultant in obstetrics, gynaecology and IVF at the QE Hospital, Gateshead, says that just because women may look and feel younger than they are doesn’t make a difference to their fertility.

“If you’re 40 and you look 20, you’re eggs are still 40 years old,” he says. “From the age of 25 your fertility starts to decline gradually. And over 40 it does significantly.”

According to Isaac, a woman under 35 has a 20 to 25pc chance of conceiving each month while over 35 that figure drops to five to 10 pc.