Flick through the lifestyle supplements of our national newspapers and you’ll regularly find yourself confronted by the suggestion that “age is just a number”.
Better science, clearer guidance about exercise or nutrition and an understanding of the work-life balance have apparently all given us an extra lease of life.
And, for those who want and can afford it, plastic surgery and a chic wardrobe can help keep the old idea of growing old at bay for a little bit longer.
Women have, of course, traditionally been reminded of the need to heed the passage of time because of its impact on their fertility.
However, new data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) actually shows that a record number of women over 40 conceived in 2023.
Just over 36,000 women of that age became pregnant three years ago, an increase of almost 26 per cent on the decade before.
As a family lawyer and someone who herself became a mum after 40, I found myself considering the reason why that is the case for so many women.
I believe that there is no single explanation.
Instead, a number of personal, work and financial factors all seem to have a bearing on the figures.
It is worth considering the age at which people decide to settle down and even consider starting a family.
Further ONS’ material reveals, for instance, that people are marrying very much later than their parents or grandparents did.
In 2023, the median age at which men and women tied the knot was 34.8 years and 33 years respectively. Both are roughly a decade later than was the case 50 years before.
Even so, many people do not choose to have a child as soon as they set up home together. In fact, a first serious relationship – be it a marriage, civil partnership or cohabitation – may not work out.
One-in-six marriages end in divorce before a 10th wedding anniversary, something which naturally sets back any family plans.
It can simply take some time to find the right partner.
We should also appreciate that even when people do, they might want to live life a little or build a career before trying to have children.
Even those individuals who want to raise a family know that parenthood can come with costly strings attached.
The Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) has estimated that it now costs £260,000 to bring a child up until he or she reaches the age of 18.
Being able to take time off work and afford childcare when you are working means finding a supportive employer and perhaps doing a little saving too.
There is one other significant consideration for women over the age of 40 which can, sadly, put the dream of motherhood out of reach.
Many of those unable to conceive naturally could find themselves reliant on fertility treatments.
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) – the body which regulates fertility treatment in the UK – has detailed how the number of IVF cycles funded by the NHS has decreased in recent years – from 35 per cent in 2019 to 27 per cent in 2023, the year ironically coinciding with the new, uplifting ONS conception data.
What is more, regional NHS bodies in different parts of the country sometimes have different rules about who might be eligible for treatment.
There are also differences in terms of how many cycles might be paid for by the NHS and how much time might be required between cycles in order for a woman’s body to reset, if you like, between those different courses of treatment.
Unfortunately, some women may feel that they require more IVF cycles than the NHS is willing to support and, in addition, find themselves unable to afford such treatment privately.
One of the more downbeat elements of the latest ONS figures is a reminder that conception does not automatically lead to motherhood.
Whilst the number of women aged 40 or over who conceive has gone up, the proportion of those conceptions which lead to a birth has, sadly, fallen by 10 per cent in a decade.
