* Mothers of age 50 years and over. The BBC news for morons made a great song and dance about an American study investigating the stress levels between women of 30 yrs and 40 yrs and women of 50 yrs and over. The result was age has no effect on the ability to rear children. Much crowing and tara-tara from the cokehead impersonators.
I could not be so cynical as to suggest that private medicine in the USA might have an interest in promoting this study as this would impugn the disinterested nature of medical establishment and to the small minded suggest a pecuniary interest by these saintly persons.

* So I, John Saxby, decided to investigate. I can now assure you that this study is totally valid. The details speak for themselves.

. Selecting women who had been treated at the same clinic :

. 49 women who conceived and delivered after the age of 50 were matched to women in their 40s and 30s who were treated by IVF.

. The selected 129 women were mailed questionnaires on parenting stress and physical and mental well-being.

. Of these 64 returned completed questionnaires.

. Their self-reported results showed that the women in their 50s had slightly lower physical functioning scores than the younger women, but the older women had higher mental functioning scores.

. There was no significant difference between the older and younger women in terms of overall parenting stress.

As a caveat it was reported many of the older women were married to significantly younger men, which might have helped reduce the stress of motherhood, and were also financially comfortable.

You don't get more scientific than that. A small minded former friend suggested that the question of nannys, nurses wasn't covered. Scurrilous sod, no scientist would omit significant data like that.

* So its all go for the older women with on-board toyboys. The treatment will have to be provided by the national health, please write to your MP supporting this.
As a younger partner is usually present, when the children are in their 20's and Mum doesn't recognise who they are any more, the younger father will be there to pat mum's hand and reassure the children.

* In light of this definitive study it would be well for publishers to examine their catalogs on Gerontology, a quick check shows my volumes to suggest their is a difference between women of 50 years and women of 30 years. Looks like a big recall and shredding to me.

* Come on you older Gals get breeding.