'I Welcomed My Baby Alone at 50 Despite Being Labeled "Geriatric" by Doctors' - OK! Magazine

A single mum who had an IVF baby at age 50 was in 'peak fitness' when she conceived and would recommend it to later-in-life hopefuls - despite scientists saying 49 is the fertility drop-off. Kelly Clarke, 55, decided aged 50 that, after a high-flying career and travelling the world, she was ready to be a mum.

She flew to Athens for IVF treatment with a donor egg and sperm and welcomed Lyla Rae Clarke, now five, in March 2021, weighing 7lbs 8oz. Kelly said being pregnant was the absolute best and would recommend taking the leap with IVF to any woman who is thinking about it.

This comes after new research from IVIRMA Global Research Alliance, an assisted reproduction medical institute in Italy, found that older women face a lower chance of fertility treatment working, even when using young donor eggs, with a marked drop-off from around the age of 49.

The findings challenge the idea that donor eggs can “reset” the reproductive clock as the researchers believe that age-related changes in the womb lining may be the cause. However, Kelly said this should not put women off trying.

Kelly, of Crawley, Sussex, said: “At the end of the day you're as old as you feel. I was at my peak fitness when I conceived and I had the most amazing pregnancy, feeling her inside me was my dream come true.

“Even though UK doctors called me geriatric, I had no medical problems at all. All I suffered from were migraines, but I already suffered from them and I couldn’t take my normal medicine.

“The only cravings were strawberries and pineapple and the only thing that got fat were my ankles. I couldn't recommend it enough to anyone who was thinking about having a kid – just do it.”

'Geriatric pregnancy' is an outdated and disused term for pregnancy at age 35 or older. The new research studied 1,774 women and the experts found that after a woman turns 49, there’s a tipping point where the risks of getting pregnant outweigh the benefits, despite the use of donor eggs. It found that compared with women aged between 35 and 40, those over the age of 49 had significantly lower odds of achieving a live birth and more than double the odds of miscarriage.

The number of women in their fifties having in vitro fertilisation using egg donors has increased by 67 per cent in the past decade, figures from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, the UK's fertility watchdog, show. Kelly worked as a flight attendant for 23 years before doing high-profile roles at Gatwick Airport. Kelly travelled to Athens, Greece, to have the IVF treatment in 2020.

She said: “I conceived with a donor egg and donor sperm, as the clinician said it was too risky to use my eggs, and the official recommendation was a donor. I trusted the experts completely. She is not my egg, but she is mine, I grew her and without me she wouldn't be here.”

Since becoming a mum, Kelly has had her struggles, particularly as a single mum, but feels being older helped her overcome the challenges. She decided to go down the sperm donor route so that she wouldn't have to co-parent and could bring Lyla up exactly how she wanted to.

After being made redundant during the pandemic, Kelly was forced to turn to Universal Credit before retraining as a swim teacher. Wanting a job that would fit with her new life as a mum, Kelly approached her daughter's school for a job and now works as a teaching assistant during the week.

She said: “When I became a mum I needed a good set up, so I went and sorted the good set up myself. I want to spend as much time as possible with Lyla Rae, I don’t want other people picking her up or dropping her off because that’s my job, so I went out to find something that fits around our schedule.

“I worked my socks off and paid my mortgage off just after Lyla’s first birthday, so now all my salary is spent on bills and Lyla. I don’t think I would have done as well as I am now if I was a younger mum, it would have been different and I would have made it work, but I wouldn’t have been able to do as much.

“For me at this point of my life, I don't look at her and think ‘I need a babysitter so that I can go out and do things’. I’ve done the partying, I've done the flying, I’ve travelled, I’ve swam with sharks, I’ve done so much and I can show her all the pictures.

“Now I can share the experiences with Lyla and I’m not looking at her wishing her life away just so I can get mine back. My life is being a mummy and I’m living my best life.

“I’ve spoken to a few friends who were umming and ahhing about it and I would 100% recommend doing it. You’ll regret not doing it as once that baby is here, the love is worth everything and you’ll think thank goodness I did it.”

Now five years on, Kelly and Lyla Rae are happier than ever walking home together every day.

Kelly said: “Lyla is amazing, I am so lucky. She is in reception at school and reads and writes so well, she knows my phone number, she is polite and kind. She is so chatty and a proper storyteller, just like me."