and so my decision

So given that only a handful out  of 70% of ovulatory cycles post age 40 are fertile, how would one respond to the question as posed by my obstetrician? I am sure that there are women out there who would see a pregnancy at 40+ as a calamity to be avoided at all costs,my mother for one ...but there are a lot more who would appreciate this as the miracle of life,birth,nature and the whole darn lot!
I am one of those women, after trying for  many years to have a little family and for that last elusive child I was over the moon and NOTHING and NO ONE was going to rain on my parade....
So as the risk of a miscarriage during and post invasive diagnostic tests  is higher than a natural risk of any genetic defects I declined any invasive tests
You must all understand that my daughter who was born when I was 34 years old has Turner's Syndrome and because of my being "in the right" age group for pregnancy no diagnostics were offered as I was not at risk! So I chose to let Mother Nature decide,considering my daughter is a joy and I would not exchange her with any other,nor change the circumstances of her birth for all the tea in China, I faced any "risk" with equanimity and in fact a positiveness beyond my usual state of mind .

The Age Factor

Here we are discussing that dreaded word...age..
yes we like to think of it as a number sadly however it does have an impact on fertility and consequences of age can impact on pregnancy and birth but it is not as dire as the medical profession wants us to think.
Between 41 and 45 years of age  only a small percentage of ovulatory cycles are fertile compare to 50% in the 18 to 25 yr age group (Trewinnard K Dr 1999 table pge 58) and 80% in the 26 to 40 year age group.
At age 40 there is a  risk of conceiving a baby with Downs Syndrome as 1 in 30 babies,and at  45 years plus that increases to 1 in 12 babies,but this is exactly that a risk assessment.Other factors filter in this such as maternal genetic history, ages of menopause in maternal mother and grandmother,health of the ova, overall maternal fitness, lifestyle choices.
If a woman  over 40 falls pregnant ,there is no need for doom and gloom many of the risks are associated with the overall maternal health. health status often deteriorates with age but if a woman leads a healthy lifestyle and is in overall good health pregnancy can be achieved and overall the risks are just that risks which also affect younger age groups at any one time...
Age is not the only factor which governs conception,pregnancy and birth