About Me
- Tammy
- After years of sloth, I am now a mama who runs and practices yoga. I write about exercise; parenting a grownup child as well as two little kids; and whatever is annoying me at the moment.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Would you want to know when your fertility ends?
This Wall Street Journal story says there is a test being developed that could allow women even in their 20s find out how long they will be fertile. Would you want to know? It's kind of creepy, and yet fascinating that you could find out and plan. I have a girlfriend my age (42) who had to have an emergency hysterectomy around 40 and she is so grateful she didn't wait to have her kids. So much of family planning is out of our hands. It will be interesting to see if this test comes about.
Also of interest in the Journal story is the bit on the pay gap (the so-called motherhood penalty) between women who have kids younger and those who wait to have kids after establishing successful careers. Hmm, and I thought the motherhood penalty meant stretch marks. Well, had I waited, I would never have had this amazing guy (above, on the left).
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It sounds to me like that test is really more a predictor of menopause rather than "end of fertility." It doesn't take into account that there are factors other than egg quality that determine whether or not a woman will conceive and carry a pregnancy to term. Tests like this are misleading, I think, because it would give women a false sense of security. The only benefit I can see is in terms of egg freezing; if you are 28 and not ready to have children, and find out your fertility clock is really ticking, you could freeze your eggs for use later.
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