1.

What is menopause? Can women normally have babies after this period?
The term "menopause" can describe any of the changes a woman goes
through either just before or after she stops menstruating, marking the
end of her reproductive period.
By the time a woman reaches 50 she has just 100 eggs left and they will
be 40 years old - lessening the chance of them becoming fertile. Also, a
woman loses her ability to become pregnant 10 years before experiencing
the menopause - which happens on average in her early 50s.
They can look into a donor egg program that will allow the woman to carry
the baby through a pregnancy with the aid of a younger females eggs.

2.
Since Dr. Walker had not passed through menopause, would you say
that she probably was still fertile? How would you know for sure if you
were her gynecologist?
Your doctor also may check levels of the hormone progesterone in your
blood. Increases in progesterone show that you are ovulating.
Your doctor may also run tests on your thyroid, or check for other
hormonal problems, to rule out conditions that might cause missed or
irregular ovulation.
3.
Why are women more susceptible to producing babies with genetic
disorders as they get older?
The risks with an older woman include developing an infection, embolisms,
and hemorrhaging. Strokes and seizures are also at a higher incidence
with a woman who is older. Risks to the baby can also occur. are at greater
risk of Down's Syndrome and other genetic conditions. Birth defects and
genetic disorders are often caused by chromosomal abnormalities, which
happen when either the mom's egg or the dad's sperm contains the wrong
number of chromosomes. Proteins called crossover proteins help
chromosomes sort themselves out.that can lead to trisomy, or one extra
chromosome, as in Down syndrome, or monosomy, just one chromosome,
as in Turner's syndrome.
4.
Are men's sperm just as likely to carry mutations in advanced age as
eggs? Why or why not?
Down's syndrome. You may be up to five times more likely to have a baby
with Down's syndrome after 40 than you were before 30. However, bear in
mind that the absolute risk is low. Even over 40, you're still more likely to
have a baby without Down's syndrome than with it. In addition, research

suggests that your age only affects your risk if your partner is over
35.alcohil.stress smoking and healthy habits also play a role.
Schizophrenia
Autism spectrum disorders
Type 1 diabetes

http://www.babycentre.co.uk/a564598/dads-to-be-how-your-age-canaffect-your-fertility-and-your-babys-health#ixzz4NTCSIhwYThey say that

older fathers have a higher risk of fathering a child with a disorder such as
autism or schizophrenia. This is because mutations cause stem cells in the
testicles to divide abnormally, resulting in an increasing proportion of
mutant sperm as men age, New Scientist reports. Some studies have even
linked having an older father to Alzheimer's disease, bipolar disorder
(previously known as manic depression), heart disease and cancer.

Now, scientists warn that a man in his 40s is twice as likely to pass down
potentially disease-forming genetic mutations as a man in his 20s indicating that the biological clock ticks for men, too.Plenty of high-profile
men have become late-life fathers, including Steve Martin at 67, David at
53 and Des O'Connor, who became a father for the fifth time at 72.
Since money was no object for the couple, they decided to participate in
the newer technologies in infertility which had been available for a few
years. Also, Melissa had all the right medical connections to make their
wish for having a child possible.
The couple needed to ask themselves several serious questions,
however, before embarking on a journey destined to alter their lives
drastically.
1. At what maternal age, in your opinion, is it NOT okay to give
birth to a baby? At what paternal age is it NOT okay to
become a new father?
Women in their twenties are least likely to have developed chronic
health problems that would put them or their babies at risk, and
they have the lowest rates of miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy,
stillbirth, and infertility. But early pregnancy doesnt work well in
todays society, which is organized around smaller families and
more full-time employment for women. If pregnancy occurs too
early, social difficulties often follow. At age 20 or younger, Mirowsky
wrote, pregnancy is more likely to happen out of wedlock, more
likely to interfere with educational attainment, and more likely to
crystallize a disadvantaged status. Many twentysomethings
consider themselves way too scattered and irresponsible to have a
chill. Female fertility starts to decline after the age of 30, dropping
more sharply after the age of 35. The older your partner, the more
difficult it may be to conceive. On average, if both partners in a

couple are under 25, they'll get pregnant within five months. But if
the woman's under 25 and the man is over 40, it can take up to two
years.
2.
What are the concerns of the couple at this point in their lives?
Health risks:
Obesity
Arthritis
Osteoporosis falls
Cancer cardiovascular disease
With aging, the ability to do daily activities (functional ability) declines to
some degree in every person. Also, older people, on average, tend to have
more disorders and disabilities than do younger people. But the changes
that accompany aging are more than just changes in health. Social issues
(such as living arrangements or type of work) influence an older person's
risk and experience of illness.
In the United States, nearly 30% of the 40 million older people who live in
the community live alone. About half of the oldest old (people who are 85
years or older) who live in the community live alone. About four fifths of
older people living alone are women. Men are more likely to die before
their wives, and widowed or divorced men are more likely to remarry than
are widowed or divorced women.

3.
Should medical doctors deny certain people the right to use reproductive
technology?
When should they?
Yes. Doctors have a great deal of discretion in deciding whom to accept as
a patient. A doctor must use professional judgment to determine whether
a particular treatment is reasonable in your case. If not, a doctor might not
accept you as a patient, or might refuse to continue with a course of
treatment. Doctors are encouraged to have clear screening policies.

That way prospective patients can learn, in advance, what criteria or test
results might be used to accept or reject them.

Factors that are often applied in infertility treatment are the:

Age of the woman.

Likelihood that treatment will succeed (both to avoid futile treatment
and to avoid putting patients through high-tech treatments if they are
likely to conceive without them).
Presence of medical conditions that pose a risk to a pregnant woman or
any resulting offspring.
Welfare of any children who might be born as a result of treatment.

If doctors choose not to accept you for treatment, they should tell you why
and inform you if there are other programs that might consider
circumstances differently.

A doctor can not deny you treatment on the basis of your race, color,
creed or national origin.

"All of them think they're being moral and ethical by saying your chances
aren't good. I know my chances aren't great, but it did happen at age 43
and it might happen again." IVF PATIENT
Are we required to take medical and psychological tests unrelated to
infertility?

Yes. As part of screening, you may be asked to undergo medical or

psychological testing. For example, you may be required to be screened
for infections that can be transmitted during pregnancy or through tissue
transplants, such as hepatitis or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
infection. Before a woman over a certain age is accepted, she may be
required to undergo extra medical tests to determine whether her heart
can withstand the physical demands of pregnancy. Doctors may require
psychological testing in order to gauge a patient's stability and ability to
make the decisions needed to safely undergo complex treatment.
Can single women or lesbian couples receive infertility treatments?

Usually. According to a recent national report, most programs in the

country, including all programs in New York State, treat single women.

"Nobody blinked an eye at my being unmarried. I was treated gently,

kindly, and appropriately... I'm glad I didn't have to go to a bar and get
pregnant and worry about getting AIDS - to know there was a safe,
sanitary way to have a child." DONOR INSEMINATION PATIENT

These women may wish to use donor insemination or may need additional
treatments. Many programs also assist lesbian couples, although this was
not asked as part of the national report.

New York State law permits, but does not require, fertility programs to
accept single women or lesbian couples as patients. You can ask a
program about its policy or check its report on the CDC Web site (see
Resources). In addition to exploring treatment options, find out if you need
to take special steps to ensure your parental rights. A growing number of
states, including New York, allow a lesbian to adopt her partner's biological
children without taking away the rights of the biological mother.
One problem with the implantation technique is that women who
undergo the procedure are having multiple births. This is due to the
fact that more than one egg is fertilized and implanted so that the
chances of producing a baby are increased.