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Tuesday, 23 April 2024

Thursday, 04 May 2006 11:39

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Woman, 63, to become oldest mum

A 63-year-old woman is to become Britain’s oldest mother after undergoing IVF treatment at a controversial Italian clinic.

Patricia Rashbrook, a child psychologist from East Sussex, flew to Rome last October for treatment by Sergio Antinori, the Sun newspaper has reported.

She is now seven months pregnant with her third child.

"A great deal of thought has been given to planning and providing for the child's present and future well-being, medically, socially and materially," she said in a joint statement with her husband.

"We are very happy to have given life to an already much-loved baby, and our wish now is to give him the peace and security he needs."

The couple said they were pleased with the pregnancy "notwithstanding its unusual and potentially controversial aspects".

Dr Antinori specialises in treating older women. He mad headlines in 1994 after helping a post-menopausal 63-year-old woman become pregnant with donor eggs and hormones.

While there is no age limit for fertility treatment in UK law, most British doctors hold back from treating women over 45 because of concerns over the ability of older parents to provide for the needs of the child or children.

But secretary to the British Fertility Society and senior lecturer at Sheffield University, Dr Allan Pacey, said there were not necessarily any health risks associated with older women getting IVF.

He said: "It's pretty clear that she would have needed donor eggs because of her age.

"My understanding is that an older women with a younger woman's donor eggs will have the same success rate applicable to the younger woman.

"She would have needed hormonal treatment to get her body to respond in the right way. As long as there's nothing wrong with the womb it should be OK."

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