pregnancy over age 50 has, over recent years, become more possible for women, due to recent advances in assisted reproductive technology, in particular egg donation. typically, a woman's fecundity ends with menopause, which by definition is 12 consecutive months without having had any menstrual flow at all. during perimenopause, the menstrual cycle and the periods become irregular and eventually stop altogether, but even when periods are still regular, the egg quality of women in their forties is typically dramatically lower than in younger women, making the likelihood of conceiving a healthy baby also dramatically lower, particularly after age 42.advanced fertility center of chicago, female age, fertility and infertility  men, in contrast, generally remain fertile throughout their lives,the alfred foundation. (n.d.) men's health. retrieved may 18, 2007. although the risk of genetic defects is greatly increased due to the paternal age effect. other sources claim that men might experience a decline in fertility starting in their late 30s.http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/pregnancy/pr00115 in the united states, between 1997 and 1999, 539 births were reported among mothers over age 50, with 194 being over 55.salihu, hamisu m., shumpert, m. nicole, slay, martha, kirby, russell s., & alexander, greg r. (2003). childbearing beyond maternal age 50 and fetal outcomes in the united states. obstetrics & gynecology, 102 (5), 1006-1014. retrieved march 5, 2007. according to statistics from the human fertilisation and embryology authority, in the britain, more than 20 babies are born to women over age 50 per year through in-vitro fertilization with the use of donor oocytes (eggs).hall, sarah. (may 8, 2006). "surge in number of children in uk born to mothers over 50." the guardian. retrieved march 29, 2007. maria del carmen bousada de lara is the oldest verified mother; she was aged 66 years 358 days when she gave birth to twins; she was 130 days older than adriana iliescu, who gave birth in 2005 to a baby girl. the children were conceived through ivf with donor eggs. the oldest verified mother to conceive naturally (listed currently in the guinness records) is dawn brooke (uk); she conceived a son at
Biological_records Gerontology Human_pregnancy Lists_of_superlatives Lists_of_women Sexuality_and_age