The trend of women having children later is 'irreversible', top doctor warns



Dr David Richmond says it's not worth trying to persuade women to have children sooner, as society has changed and doctors cannot control that

He says women want to feel financially secure before having children

He believes this is why they delay motherhood and that this won't change

The doctor also believes most know the risks of delaying motherhood

As a result, he says warning them of the dangers won't help



Doctor David Richmond says the trend of starting a family later is irreversible. News reader Kate Silverton (pictured) is pregnant at 43 with her second child - she had her first baby two years ago

Over the last few decades the age at which women are deciding to start a family has risen steadily.



From news reader Kate Silverton – who is pregnant with what she describes as a 'miracle baby' at 43 – to Shameless actress Tina Malone – who had a baby at 50 - women across the country are having children later.



And now, a leading doctor has said this is a trend that is here to stay.



Dr David Richmond, Britain’s top maternity doctor, says the rise in the number of older mothers is irreversible.



He added that it is not worth trying to persuade women to have children sooner, The Guardian reports.



Dr Richmond, president of the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecologists, told the paper: ‘I think [the trend] is irreversible because of increasing equality in the social, professional, financial [and] corporate environment we live in.



'If you put a man in that situation, they would do exactly the same. I completely respect that position.



‘Older women becoming mothers is a trend that’s here to stay, I believe.’



Dr Richmond believes this is because women want to feel financially secure and secure in their jobs before taking maternity leave.



However, he also believes that most know the risks of delaying motherhood and that warning of the dangers them will not reverse the trend.

He explained that he believes the trend has occurred because society has changed and that that is not something doctors can change.



And as for the additional cost to the health service – Dr Richmond says treating mothers over the age of 40 will be expensive but that these women continue to represent a minority meaning the cost will not be unmanageable.



Dr Richmond says that even warning women of the risks of delaying motherhood will not reverse the trend. Shameless star Tina Malone (pictured as Mimi in the show) had a baby when she was 50

The average age at which a woman in Britain has her first baby has been rising steadily and now stands at 29.8.

Some 49 per cent of live births in the UK each year are now to mothers over the age of 30.



Figures from the Office for National Statistics also show that the number of babies born to women over the age of 40, and even over the age of 50, is increasing rapidly.



In 2008 69 babies were born to women over the age of 50, by 2012 this figure had risen to 154.



This concerns many doctors as having a baby later in life can increase a woman’s chance of miscarriage and of a complicated labour.



The number of women aged 50 and over who gave birth in 2012 hit 154, up from 69 in 2008

Women who delay motherhood are also more likely to have fertility problems and their children are more likely to be born with disabilities and birth defects.

Kate Silverton describes her babies as 'miracles' - she conceived her first child, Clemency, naturally after years of failed IVF treatment and then had two miscarriages before becoming pregnant with the baby she is due to give birth to within weeks.



Dr Richmond is relaxed about the trend of older motherhood but his views are in sharp contrast with the views of the government’s chief medical officer, Professor Dame Sally Davies, who has expressed acute concern about the situation.

