Sleepwalking Into Infertility: The Need for a Public Health Approach Toward Advanced Maternal Age

The American Journal of Bioethics Volume 15, Issue 11, 2015

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DOI:

10.1080/15265161.2015.1088973

Marie-Eve Lemoine^a* & Vardit Ravitsky^a

pages 37-48

Publishing models and article dates explained

• Published online: 17 Nov 2015

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Abstract

In Western countries today, a growing number of women delay motherhood until their late 30s and even 40s, as they invest time in pursuing education and career goals before starting a family. This social trend results from greater gender equality and expanded opportunities for women and is influenced by the availability of contraception and assisted reproductive technologies (ART). However, advanced maternal age is associated with increased health risks, including infertility. While individual medical solutions such as ART and elective egg freezing can promote reproductive autonomy, they entail significant risks and limitations. We thus argue that women should be better informed regarding the risks of advanced maternal age and ART, and that these individual solutions need to be supplemented by a public health approach, including policy measures that provide women with the opportunity to start a family earlier in life without sacrificing personal career goals.