Worlds Oldest New Mother Dies Leaving Behind Twin Toddlers
The argument that women over 35 should no longer be conceiving has been longstanding and for good reason. After the age of 35 the risks of developing certain medical conditions such as preeclampsia, diabetes, and placenta previa increase, although not much higher than they were when you were 34.
It is after the age of 40 that risks to the mother AND baby significantly increase. Not only is it harder to get pregnant at that age, but the risk of miscarriage, stillbirths, and chromosomal abnormalities also increase.
So, with all of this information available, why would a 66-year-old woman from Spain decide to lie about her age to undergo In-Vitro Fertilization? Was she being selfish or did she have just as much right as say--a 30 year old woman wanting to undergo this procedure?
About a week ago Maria del Carmen Bousada passed away at the age of 69, leaving behind two boys who had yet to turn 3. Shortly after giving birth to twins, she was diagnosed with a tumor but the cause of her death has been undisclosed.
Maria Bousada sold her home, underwent hormone therapy to reverse 20 years of menopause, and deceived doctors telling them she was 55, the maximum age limit for IVF--all for the chance of being a mother. A dream that was extremely short-lived.
Many people say she was being purely selfish, others say that any 30 year old woman can die tomorrow of either natural causes or by accident--leaving young children behind as well. But when you know that you are of advanced maternal age and that your chances of passing away are much, much higher than those of a younger mother, is fair to compare the two?
Was it selfish of her to sell her home if she had no way of providing for her children? What is the maximum age that women should be allowed to bear children through these procedures? Should doctors start asking for birth certificates if their patients look over the age of 40? What kind of future do her children face now that their mother has passed away?
What are your thoughts on the world's oldest mother, now dead?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31921390/ns/health-womens_health/?GT1=43001
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Add a Comment64 Comments
There is a GREATER chance an older woman will die of a disease/complications than a younger woman. Of course it is selfish to have a baby that late! Having a baby means realizing what lies ahead (taking care of the baby, child, teenager; school; relationships, etc) and not just babies are cute or "look what I've got". No one plans for the emergencies in life (getting hit by a car). We deal with it if it comes. There is a reason why women have a "reproductive" window of opportunity....
July 25, 2009 - 8:26amThis Comment
Having children is a long journey and even though we don't know what is ahead, at 66 years she would have known her time is less than the average aged mum. Yes, I think it was selfish of the mum and foolish of the IVF doctor who did it. If she needed IVF then that is her bodies way of saying "I can't do this!". I feel sorry for those young boys without a mum.
July 26, 2009 - 2:27pmYes, a 30 year old can die tomorrow - but it's so much more likely for a 66 year old! By that theory, nobody would have children. Anyone can die tomorrow.
The difference being, a 30 year old dropping dead before their child hit adulthood would be an exception to the norm. A 66 year old living for 20 years would be plain exceptional.
It's selfish to even have a child that age if you're (somehow, for argument's sake) guaranteed 35 years from the day you give birth. How the hell do they think their child is going to feel when their MOTHER is as old as their friend's GREAT GRANDPARENTS.
My mum had me at 35, I felt embarrased at times because she was older (45 when I was ten) and old fashioned... if she'd been 76? Jesus, I'm 20 and my grandmother still isn't 76. Those children would be in for a rough ride in bullying terms and isolation, never mind the fact that someone that old just can't provide the physical effort needed.
What's the fun in playing if your mum needs a nap more than you do?
July 27, 2009 - 5:14pmwe are a sick society that can hardly cope with diversity at all. a friend visited portugal where all age groups socialise together- none of the segregation and concommitant generation gaps so rife in the US and the 'west'. the 'west' is so 'civilised' we want to do away with anyone over 40. we ignore and hide our older people. we are pathologically afraid of aging, and of all images associated with it.
i've skin a different colour than that of the other mums so i look funny. OMG my child is going to be embarrassed by me because i'm not IDENTICAL to all the other mums.
get over it. your poor character, your shame about your 'too old' (not identical) mother was something that with maturity you should have grown out of, that, all else being more or less as it should, have evolved into gratitude and pride.
I believe that the anti-standpoint is about more than just the possibility of the mother dying. it's a much more visceral general revulsion of the mental image of someone not perfectly smooth and youthful-looking being a mother. yet think of the life-experience and wisdom an older mother could contribute to her children's personality development.
i say to the 66 year-old GO AHEAD and conceive. it's a rare enough occurrence to have very little economic impact. compare the cost of the care for these orphans to the cost of the ghastly diabetes and obesity-inducing diet so many people in the 'west' enjoy. so we gorge ourselves to death and don't educate each other in healthy living, then we begrudge one individual's choice to take decisive steps to fulfill herself. i know where my sympathies lie, and it's not with the consumers.
furthermore, imagine being those kids, knowing how much they were wanted and loved, that their mother went to such lengths to bring them down here. i'd rather be one of those cherished orphans than one of the legions of unloved children of ill-educated and irresponsible girls of 20.
July 29, 2009 - 9:34am^someone isn't happy with their childhood and could use a little maturity
August 14, 2009 - 2:37pmI don't think the above poster is the party lacking in maturity here. I can't believe people jumping all over a 66 year old who wanted to be a mother- maybe she felt she was born to be a mom, but circumstances throughout her life prevented her from doing so. Maybe she felt that she had a lot to offer her (potential) children. Maybe she thought she would live another 20+ years considering that's a fairly common thing for women these days.
One of my best friends had older parents-this woman's age when we were in high school-she was embarrassed by it, but I never understood why. I felt like my grandparents were my parents a lot of the time and they were "old"- and that just didn't matter to me. The reasons she was embarrassed, I know now, are laid out 2 posts ago: we don't like to think about the elderly as people on the same level with the same thoughts and feelings as us. We don't like the idea of the elderly engaging in sexual activity, lusting after one another, feeling youthful, and we absolutely don't like the idea of a pregnant old lady- eeeeeeew.
It makes absolutely no sense. Old people are adults- they're MORE adult... this youth obsessed-ness is... just... nauseating.
I can understand the health risk argument and I would not have gone the route this lady did- if I don't have children before I'm 40, I don't think I will- but I don't believe the primary concern among posters was the fact that this woman risked her health...
I'm not a very healthy 27 year-old. I've let stress, poor diet, and an overly rushed lifestyle absolutely ruin naturally excellent health. If I got pregnant next month I would be putting myself in the line of some serious health risks. I have developed pre-hypertension and an insatiable sweet tooth in the past year. What do you think would happen to me pregnant??
August 18, 2009 - 8:02amMaturity? Maturity? You think having an open mind and a sympathetic empathy towards members of society who don't fit the grossly stylized Western culture and media view of a mother as being immature? I think someone needs to rethink their own values and mature a little themselves.
December 27, 2009 - 7:45pmWho says we "want to do away with anyone over 40"? Where do you get that from?? Considering the vast amount of money that is spent on healthcare, especially for older people in the US, I'd say your comments make you appear pretty ignorant. I'm not going to attempt to reply to the rest of your ridiculous rant.
August 21, 2009 - 8:37amAbsolutely! Couldn't agree more. My guess is those little boys feel grateful for their lives - to have, for even a short time, a mother who wanted them so much.
September 24, 2009 - 11:45amHow did we jump from an irresponsible decision made by a 66-year old woman to the premise that the "civilized West" wants to do away with anyone over 40?
Age is a fact of life, and along with the other facts of life certain elements of society would like to ignore, there are certain natural processes that cease at certain time-periods for a reason. This individual circumvented this natural process, costing her a house and setting up uncertainty for her children. That she not only required hormone therapy to reverse menopause (a concept I have unheard of until reading this article), she also used the medical procedure of IVF to implant the seeds of life.
December 1, 2009 - 4:31pmNot detailed in the article, but plausibly assumed would be that there was no "partner " in this venture. Draw out the conclusion to this decision: Giving birth at the age of 66 would put mommy at 84 by the time the boys complete primary education. According to the World Book, life expectancy in Spain is shy of 80 years. As a son and a father I find the idea of burying my mother disheartening, even at 40 years old myself. I cannot imagine having to grow up with the daily constant nagging persistence, "Will Mommy be alive the next time I see her?" I have that nagging persistence now with my Grandmother (80 this year), and it causes some anxiety.
So, in my opinion, this is not an issue of senior rights, but of senior irresponsibility. A selfish irresponsibility bred out of the various incarnations of the "Me" generation replicating itself since the end of WWII. As more of the "Baby-Boomers" reach conclusion of their existence more of this selfish irresponsibility will become more pronounced (not exactly a "rare" occurrence).