ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, April 26, 1997 TAG: 9704280082
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-5 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: NORFOLK
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
A doctor at Jones Institute for Women's Health says the woman's request might be rejected so the school can avoid controversy.
A 61-year-old British woman who wants to bear a child through in-vitro fertilization turned to Eastern Virginia Medical School after a New York doctor turned her down because she lied about her age.
Dr. James P. Toner Jr., head of the donor egg program for the Jones Institute for Women's Health at the medical school, said the woman's request probably will be rejected even though she is in excellent health.
Community standards probably would not accept a 61-year-old bearing a child, and two ethical review panels that will debate the case next month must take that into account, Toner said.
``We don't want to risk the good we do'' by getting embroiled in a controversy, he said.
The woman, who lives in London but was not identified, underwent in-vitro fertilization in Italy but could not become pregnant, Toner said.
The issue of how old a woman can be when she gives birth drew national attention this week when it was revealed that a 63-year-old woman had given birth in California. She had used false documentation to convince doctors that she was in her early 50s.
In that case, an egg donated from a younger woman was fertilized in a laboratory dish using sperm from the older woman's husband. The resulting embryo was transferred to the older woman's uterus.
At the Jones Institute, the cutoff age for in-vitro fertilization is 50 unless the woman is still menstruating on her own, Toner said. Two clinics in the United States accept women up to age 55.
Little is known about the potential medical problems for pregnancy in the late 50s or 60s because so few women in that age group have borne children, Toner said.
Doctors do know that the risk of some pregnancy problems, such as diabetes and low birth weight, increases with the age of the mother. The risks are also high in very young mothers.
``Even in 40-year-olds, they're more apt to have problem pregnancies,'' said Dr. Robin Poe-Zeigler, a fertility specialist in Virginia Beach.
The 63-year-old California woman, who was not publicly identified, had minor complications during pregnancy, including high blood pressure and gestational diabetes. The problems were controlled by bed rest and diet.
At the Jones Institute, the oldest patient to give birth was 52.
While new fertility techniques make pregnancy possible for older women, Toner said calls from women in their 60s are rare.
If future studies show that women in their 60s could bear children safely - and that the children don't suffer psychologically from having elderly mothers - clinics may have to rethink their policies, the doctors said.
``The guiding principle is the child. ... What is the best thing for the child?'' Toner said.
Social standards, like medical know-how, also can change.
Poe-Zeigler grew up in a small farming community. She remembers that neighbors raised eyebrows when her mother became pregnant with a second child at age 31.
For Poe-Zeigler, things were different. ``I did my career first, and I had my baby when I was 38,'' she said.
In addition to health issues, Toner and Poe-Zeigler said, there appears to be social queasiness about older mothers that is not applied to older fathers.
When an elderly man impregnates a young wife, ``everyone is saying, `Oh, wow. He must be in good health,''' Poe-Zeigler said. But with older mothers, ``people see it as disgusting.''
LENGTH: Medium: 73 linesby CNB