How Concerned Should You Be About ‘Advanced Maternal Age,’ Really?
Dr. Pari was featured in the article below, originally posted for the She Knows.
Why is everyone freaking out about Meghan Markle’s fertility prospects?
As soon as Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced their engagement, the questions were immediate: What does the ring look like? When will they tie the knot? Is she too old to have kids? Wait, what? Yup, apparently there is some concern that Markle’s 36-year-old uterus may not be up for bearing royal babies. But how concerned should we be about “advanced maternal age” anyway?
For me, the question came up when I was eight months pregnant with my son and I got a frantic call from a nurse at my OB-GYN’s office. “We need you to come in for an ultrasound immediately, and for every week from now on,” she said. Naturally, I panicked and assumed something was wrong with the baby. When I asked why, she told me this: “It’s because you’re 35.”