A woman is set to become Britain's oldest mother at the age of 63 after treatment by a controversial Italian fertility doctor.
Child psychiatrist Patricia Rashbrook of East Sussex, flew to Rome last October for IVF by Severino Antinori, according to the Sun newspaper.

She is now reported to be seven months' pregnant with her third child.

In a joint statement with her husband, John Farrant, she said the decision had not been taken lightly.

We are very happy to have given life to an already much-loved baby

Farrants' statement

The statement read: "A great deal of thought has been given to planning and providing for the child's present and future well-being, medically, socially and materially.

"We are very happy to have given life to an already much-loved baby, and our wish now is to give him the peace and security he needs."

The couple said they were pleased with the pregnancy "notwithstanding its unusual and potentially controversial aspects".

Refusing to go into details of the treatment received, the future parents insisted the child's welfare was their top priority and asked for their privacy to be respected.

It's pretty clear that she would have needed donor eggs because of her age

Dr Allan Pacey
Secretary of the British Fertility Society

Dr Rashbrook, whose married name is Mrs Farrant, is reported to have conceived after treatment at Dr Antinori's clinic in Rome, where he specialises in treating older women.

He first made headlines in 1994 by helping a post-menopausal 63-year-old woman become pregnant with donor eggs and hormones.

And he has said he wanted to be the first doctor to produce a cloned human baby.

There is no age limit for fertility treatment set down in UK law, and whether a particular person is treated is left to the clinical judgment of doctors.

But a spokesman for the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority clinics must take into account the welfare of the child, including the health, age and ability to provide for the needs of the child or children.

Health risks?

Most British fertility experts hold back from treating women aged over 45 because of these issues.


But secretary to the British Fertility Society and senior lecturer at Sheffield University, Dr Allan Pacey, said that older women are able to get pregnant fairly easily using IVF but she would have needed donor eggs because of her age.

"My understanding is that an older women with a younger woman's donor eggs will have the same success rate applicable to the younger woman.

"She would have needed hormonal treatment to get her body to respond in the right way. As long as there's nothing wrong with the womb it should be OK."

"However, there are some health risks associated with older women getting pregnant, they are more likely to get high blood pressure, diabetes develop problems with the placenta and then need a cesarian section.

"On the whole, its not to be recommended."

'Selfish'

The reports of Dr Rashbroook's pregnancy have sparked outcry from pro-life groups.

Josephine Quintavalle, from Comment on Reproductive Ethics (Core), said it would be extremely difficult for a child to have a mother who is as old as a grandmother would be.

She added: "It is just that consumer society that wants absolutely everything, and never stops to think that a child is not a product.

"She is being selfish and sometimes greater love is saying no."

Dr Rashbrook is not the first woman in her 60s to become a new mother.

Liz Buttle, from Wales, was 60 years old when she gave birth to a son called Joseph in 1997.

The oldest woman in the world to give birth is thought to be Adriana Iliescu, from Romania, who had a daughter called Eliza Maria in January last year at the age of 66