[spunkets]

"From ages 40 to 42, couples have only a 9% chance of delivering a healthy child."

Is this true?

[Torie]

Sounds like BS to me, particularly vis a vis the male. My dad was 45 when he sired me,and 48 when he sired my younger brother. Of course, some here might consider me unhealthy.

[Coleus]

I think it has to do with whether or not it's your first child. If you had a child previously, the outcome may be different. There are physicians on the FR, maybe one of them will read this and be more precise.

[pjd]

<1>"From ages 40 to 42, couples have only a 9% chance of delivering a healthy child." Is this true?

This is a misrepresentation of the truth. The reality is that an older woman is equally likely to concieve a healthy child as a younger woman is. The difference is that the fetus in a younger woman is more likely to self-abort if something is wrong whereas an older woman is more likely to carry it to term. Hence, older women give birth to more downs babies, but not because they are less likely to concieve healthy ones.