A woman’s childbearing years might not end at 35. Some women are pushing the limits of conception, but will you continue producing viable eggs?
Will Your Biological Clock Expire During The Pandemic?
Human biological clocks produce circadian rhythms and regulate their timing. Circadian rhythms are a combination of physical, mental, and behavioral changes that follow a daily cycle. One internal clock system became popular in the late 1970s by Richard Cohen in his article, “The Clock is Ticking for the Career Woman.” [1,2]
Since the 1970s it has become a common belief that a woman’s childbearing years end at 35. Other people stress that such a clock is a metaphor, not an actual biological expiration.
Some women are giving birth to healthy children with their own eggs into their 40s. In the United States, 539 births were reported among mothers over age 50 between the years 1997 and 1999, with 194 births for women over 55 years old. [3,4]
Dawn Brooke (UK) is the oldest verified mother to conceive naturally at the age of 59 years in 1997. Maria del Carmen Bousada de Lara is the oldest verified mother; she was aged 66 years of age, 358 days when she gave birth to twins through in-vitro fertilization (IVF) with donor eggs in 2010. [4,6]
A 2013 study reported in Fertility and Sterility followed 2,820 Danish women as they attempted pregnancy. When these women had sex during their fertile times, 78% of the 35 to 40-year-olds got pregnant within a year, compared with 84% of 20 to 34-year-olds. [7]
Complications of Delaying Pregnancy
We may have debunked the popular mid-life age limit but late-age pregnancies can lead to complications and fatality. Mothers over 50 years of age are three times more likely to have a preemie, and fetal mortality is almost double in number. Male fertility declines with age. So unless the male is significantly younger, attempts to conceive may result in some misfires.
Just because some women are pushing the limits of childbirth does not mean that you produce viable eggs indefinitely. Menopause can begin within your 40s or 50s, but the average age is 51 in the United States.
After menopause, the IVF option is quite expensive with a low level of success. The national average cost for a “fresh” IVF cycle is $12,000 USD. This is before medications and other services, which typically run thousands more. Based on your locale, an individual cycle can range between $8,000 and $20,000 USD. At least two cycles are required for a successful procedure. [6–9]
Pandemic Pregnancies
Now we come to a question on the minds of many young to middle-age mothers: Should I conceive a child during the COVID-19 pandemic? According to doctors, the coronavirus can cross the placenta and infect fetuses during pregnancy. It doesn’t happen often and such children have done well for the most part. [10]
Importance of Vaccination During Pregnancy
Update December 15, 2021 – The number of pregnant people who died of COVID-19 spiked sharply in August and September 2021, with more than two dozen deaths recorded in each of those months, according to data released this week by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). More than 40% of the 249 deaths among pregnant people since the start of the pandemic occurred since August, the data shows. [11] —CNN
A nurse in the U.S. who received the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine gave birth to a child with coronavirus antibodies, which may offer some protection against the virus. Also antibodies are detectable within the placenta of infants born to mothers previously infected with COVID-19. [12]
Popular Pandemic Baby Names
- Amelia
- Cohvy
- Corona
- Covid Rose
- Covida
- Koroña
- Kovvy
- Olivia
- Pandema
- Phurell
- Quarantina
- Sophia
Dr. Denise Jamieson, chair of the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at Emory Healthcare and member of the COVID-19 task force at the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, does not recommend delaying pregnancy solely on the basis of the coronavirus pandemic. This situation may last years.
Women can take safety precautions to avoid COVID-19 during pregnancy for a healthy delivery. [10] Begin thinking of baby names. Will you be the first to have a girl with the name Koroña Vyress? Too soon? Perhaps she will be Kovvy.
