Pregnancy over age 50

Pregnancy over age 50 has become more possible for women, due to recent advances in assisted reproductive technology, such as egg donation.[1] Typically, a woman's fecundity ends with menopause, which by definition is 12 consecutive months without having had a period. Perimenopause usually begins between ages 40 and 51, this is when the periods become irregular & eventually stop altogether (men, in contrast, generally remain fertile throughout their lives,[2] although the risk of genetic defects is greatly increased due to the paternal age effect). Pregnancy over age 35 is associated with increased risks.
In the United States, between 1997 and 1999, 539 births were reported among mothers over age 50.[1] According to statistics from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, in Britain, more than 20 babies are born to women over age 50 per year through in-vitro fertilization.[3] The oldest known birth mother in the world currently is an Indian who delivered a baby girl at the age of 70 in November 2008.