IVF mum, 57, now admits: 'I'm too old'
Back to Topic
Click to Print
Useful Websites
Glossary Term Selection
When Susan Tollefsen conceived via in vitro fertilisation at the age of 57, it was a dream come true – despite the public criticism. Three years later, as a 61-year-old single mum to a toddler, she now agrees that there should be an upper age limit on child-bearing.
‘If I’m completely honest, my experience has taught me that 50 should probably be the cut-off limit for having children, but until you have them it’s almost impossible to appreciate that,’ Susan reveals. ‘It’s so true that you only learn by your own mistakes, and my mistake was not to have had her sooner.’
Freya was conceived using a donor egg and the sperm of Susan’s then partner Nick Mayer. Though the pair were in a committed relationship at the time of their daughter’s birth, the pressures of parenting soon caused a rift: ‘I felt as if he didn’t want his family life to change at all after Freya came along, even though mine had changed completely,’ says Susan.
Though she insists that her daughter is ‘without doubt t...
Want to see the rest of this article?
Would you like to see the rest of this article and all the other benefits that Issues Online can provide with?
- Useful related articles
- Video and multimedia references
- Statistical information and reference material
- Glossary of terms
- Key Facts and figures
- Related assignments
- Resource material and websites
