Buy one get one free Q & A
Q: We’ve heard about the world’s oldest mother and so forth on the news. What is a doctor’s opinion on it? Do doctors support women having a baby at 60 or 70?
A: This presenter has a personal opinion. However, this is really a societal issue that goes beyond the opinion of Doctors. How is this situation different from that of younger women who have other life limiting conditions (diabetes, cancer,…) and who wish to have children?
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Q: Do disabilities of prematurely born persons have the chance of being inherited by a next generation?
A: What are disabilities? If developing obesity or hypertension as an adult is not considered a disability then one can consider that only those disabilities that have a genetic component have a chance of being transmitted to a next generation. The disabilities that are related to other factors, such as birth trauma, postnatal infections or extreme immaturity will not be inherited by the next generation as long as they don’t have a genetic component to them. The latter represents the vast majority of cases. Of note, it has been recently suggested that being born preterm is associated with a slightly higher risk of giving birth to a preterm baby.
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Q: If the mother has a chromosomal mutation (like down’s syndrome) would the baby also have mutations, and what are the chances?
A: This really depends on exactly the type of mutation…
A women who has Down syndrome due to free trisomy 21 has a high risk of having a Down syndrome daughter, though the exact chances are difficult to assess (probably less than 50%) and she can have a chromosomally normal baby. Males with Down syndrome are generally not fertile.
Some individuals have structural changes to chromosomes, such as chromosomal translocations. These can be transmitted in balanced or unbalanced form to the offspring. But again the risks depend on the specific type of error.
A woman who wants to get pregnant but has a family history of chromosomal errors and is worried about risks to her children, can be referred to the Medical Genetics clinic for genetic counseling to receive more detailed/specific information.
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C: There was a lot of data indicating that more IVF=more problems with more premature babies, a significant number of whom will require life-long care; more problems with mothers who aren't in great shape themselves; and (no data here) the possibility that many of the children needing life-long care could well be the offspring of parents who may not be alive for the child's life, since they're "old" to begin with. One is forced to think that perhaps IVF should be restricted to younger (perhaps <40) women who are healthy to start with; one does realize that infertility is an awful thing - thanks!
A: This comment has a similar in theme to the first question to which we have replied.
