Congrats to Celine Dion!

After what seems like forever Celine Dion is finally getting her happy ending, it was just announced that she is 14 weeks pregnant with twins, concieved through her sixth IVF attempt. She had embryos that were frozen from several years ago. This is great news, and although she is in her 40's her embryos are in the 30's since they were frozen years ago.

This brings up a endless debate of "how old is too old to have children"? Now many would argue that women over the age of 40 should not be allowed to undergo fertility treatments, because this is just too old to have children. There is many arguments that vary from the medical risks for a 40 something year old woman to have a child are just not worth it, and then there is the fact that can a 40 something woman have the engery to keep us with her growing child.

Dr Sher of the Sher Institute discusses the medical risks involved with having a child: "Yes there are age-related medical risks and it is indisputable that pregnancy in older women is associated with increased risk to both mother and baby. Pregnancy-induced complications (e.g. preeclampsia, gestational diabetes intrauterine growth retardation, premature separation of the placenta, preterm delivery, low birth weight, dysfunctional labor and cesarean section ) are all far more likely to occur in older women. However, this risk can be lessened by in advance identifying those older women who are most predisposed to developing such complications."

In terms of women not being able to keep up with the growing childen, we as humans are living longer these days, many women are living well into their eighties. Yes, there may be some compromises involved with the physical activitis that children take part in, there are other benefits to being an older parent, more life experiences, knowledge, and wisdom- everything is a trade off.

I strongly disagree that a physican should be able to deny a patient fertility treatments because of age, this is down right discrimination. However it is the duty of that physican to advise of the potential risks so the patient can make an educated informed decision.

As someone who dealt with infertility until you have walked in these infertile shoes you can have no opnion. You do not know what it feels like to not be able to have children. For some being pregnant and experiencing child birth is very important, and for those people they will go to the end of the earth to have that experience, even it means countless IVF's. Hat's off to Celine and her family, prayers for healthy pregnancy and happy babies in the fall!