Age is just a number. Except when your biological clock is ticking.
Just ask Sydney woman, Carolyne Ness. Time may have been up on her body’s baby making clock. But she wasn’t about to let age get in the way of her dream to become a mum.
Thanks to the wonders of modern medicine, Carolyne is now spending her days singing nursery rhymes and changing dirty nappies, after welcoming her son, Javed.
Mum at 58
We’re all aware of how our reproductive systems work. The chances of falling pregnant and having a healthy pregnancy are far greater in your 20s than in your 50s.
It’s because of this that Australian practitioners put an age limit on IVF treatment. In general, this cut off date sits around 52, considered the ‘natural’ age of menopause .
But this didn’t stop Carolyne Ness, who discovered not all countries follow the same guidelines as Australia.
The determined Sydney woman recently traveled to India to undergo IVF, after being told she didn’t qualify for treatment in Australia.
The new mum estimates she spent around $7,900 for the treatment, using donor embryos and sperm, which she selected herself. She fell pregnant with her son, Javed, and gave birth at 37 weeks via c-section, at the age of 58.
‘My life is now complete’
Despite the dangers involved, Carolyne revealed on British talk show, This Morning, that she has no regrets.
“My life is just complete now that I have got my baby and I am so happy that I made the choice to go ahead.” Carolyne
Its been a long journey to become a mum for Carolyne, who, for several years, tried for a baby with her now ex-husband. The couple divorced and Carolyne found herself single and childless at 40.
Now, at 59, Carolyne is confident in her ability to raise Javed, explaining that longevity runs in her family. And, if not, she has a 55-year-old sister who can care for Javed.
“Even though I am an older mother I am coping very well and he is very loved and very much wanted,” she says. “My sister is willing to take him, she is five years younger and my best friend who was my birthing partner, she is ten years younger.”
Inspiring… or irresponsible?
Carolyne is hoping her story encourages other single older women to not give up hope of having a baby. But the message isn’t something that medical experts agree with.
According to Monash University professor and IVF specialist Gab Kovacs, it can be considered quite “irresponsible” to treat women over the age of 53.
“Our bodies weren’t designed to have children in our 60s. It’s not a standard of medicine I would condone”.
We wish Carolyne and her darling boy all the best, For another mum who took fertility into her own hands, see our recent story on the woman who is pregnant with twins at the age of 67.
