AIBU to think this is bonkers?

Children have grown up and have lived without grandmothers before quite a lot.

I don't think wanting to have children in your sixties is wrong in absoute terms even though it's not a choice I and the vast majority of other women would make. Nor do I think it wrong in absolute terms for a medical team doing research on the limits of human reproductive biology to inseminate a woman who wants to be inseminated with donated sperm and eggs.

So I wouldn't say this whole thng was unethical in absolute terms either.

Grandchildren are not likely to have the benefit of a grandmother either.

It is totally unethical on the part of the medical team concerned and selfish on the part of the woman. Also, if I was altruistic enough to be an egg donor, I would hope that my gift was for a couple or a woman who have not been able to conceive their own child and would be young and fit enough to take care of the resulting child or children. There is also the issue of the vociferous groups who are anti abortion/anti IVF/anti-stem cell therapy etc., this gives them fuel to criticise and condemn the medical treatments and therapies that are on the very edge of science. Overall, i think it is very sad, for the egg and sperm donor, for the children and for the woman herself who will likely not live to see her children reach full adulthood.

Could you specify what "wider societal issues" you had in mind when you used that phrase?

I agree, jane, that any pressure to proceed with this pregnancy probably came from the woman and I agree that it seems unethical on the part of the medics to agree to her demands if that was the case, but without further details I'm not willing to condemn them by stating categorically that they did wrong. It is not the first case of pregnancy by artificial insemination of a woman in her sixties.

Bags You said
" So long as she has not been coerced into doing something she doesn't want to do, I don't think the scientists/doctors are in the wrong."

I must admit that the idea of this woman being coerced into anything, hadn't crossed my mind.
Doctors coercing patients into experimental treatment, especially when there is absolutely no possible therapeutic value to that patient, is chilling, and categorically unethical.

The scenario I imagined was that the woman coerced the doctors into providing treatment. Even if 'informed consent' with regard to this particular patient has been obtained, there are still wider societal issues to be considered and I think a line has been crossed here which makes this unethical too.

Peter Stringfellow is about to become a dad again at the age of 74. His oldest son is 51

Regarding older dads, a neighbour's brother (59) has remarried and has a baby girl....and isn't coping well with sleepless nights! His 35 and 39 year old children think he's having a mid-life crisis, no sympathy whatsoever....

I'm 66, we've just had 4 under 4s here all week and I'm completely knackered tired out and both Mums were here to help too!

I too think she is mad!! But what about the many men who become dads at this age--or older? I think that they are irresponsible as well, but that doesn't seem to matter as much. There is a lot of evidence to show that older fathers have children with higher risk of things like autism and mental health problems. There has not been a great deal of research into parental age as opposed to maternal age but the evidence is strong and growing.

There seems to be a lot of reasons why we are young when we have children!

At 61 the thought of just one would finish me off....I can't even begin to imagine being 75 with a 14 year old............

OMG I have had to have a lie down just thinking how awful that would be if it were me- and worse for the child. I have no patience at all and am tired all the time at 62. My mother had my brother at 48 and she felt she was far too old then!! yes I know that is quite normal now.

This is selfish. She may be fit and well now but who knows how she will be in 5 years time. My fit and healthy friend recently had a heart attack (which she fortunately survived) but who knows what strain this pregnancy and birth will put on her heart. How many grandparents on here who dearly love their grandchildren but are happy to hand them back to their parents at the end of a day - unless she can afford a nanny she won't be able to do that. She is thinking only of her own wants and not the welfare of the children

She is a teacher and must be clocking up a lot of maternity leave and pay - I believe the German benefits system is quite generous.

I'm all for pushing scientific boundaries and support IVF, surrogacy, stem-cell research, and even cloning, but this is pure indulgence and serves no scientific purpose.

It's not as though she hasn't experienced childbirth and deserved a chance at motherhood!

It might be fun for her but what about the children?

She seems rather a sad case, like 'Octo mum' in California, who already had many children then gave birth to eight.

The doctors in these cases have a lot to answer for and should face professional/legal censure.

Greedy comes to my mind.

I agree with JaneA about the Dr's needing to take some responsibilty if they feel they might cause medical harm to the welfare of the babies.

Maybe she likes being a baby machine. If she's 65 now and her youngest child is ten, she was 55 when she had him/her. Even that's pushing the edges a bit.

Sounds as if some of the older children will be old enough to look after the wee ones if necessary. Perhaps they've already agreed to do that.

Or perhaps they've run a mile at the suggestion.

I think her eldest is in his 40s so presumably some of the others are adults too. I think it is unethical on the part of the medics to facilitate this crazy pregnancy.

Hang on, she has 13 already?!
Must be completely barmy, 17 children at 65.......... I assume she can support them all but morally very questionable in my opinion.

Just seen she is half way through the pregnancy. Well, good luck to her and the babies.

I also think she's bonkers but I kind of understand the experimental science side too in pushing the boundaries of human reproductive ability to the extreme. So long as she has not been coerced into doing something she doesn't want to do, I don't think the scientists/doctors are in the wrong.

Haven't seen how far on in the pregnancy she is but I'd imagine the risks are quite high of miscarriage of some or all of the foetuses.

Not wise !!!

And why would a doctor/clinic facilitate this for a woman who already has so many children?

A misuse of scientific advances.

She already has 13 childen, the youngest of whom is only 10!
She 'assumes' she will stay fit and healthy...well, good luck with that.