Welcome to the conference website

Motherhood in the 21st Century, a one-day conference and debate which took place on:

Friday, September 18th 2009
at University College London

The opening address was given by Lord Robert Winston. Professor Winston has an international reputation for his researches into human reproduction and has pioneered advances widely used in fertility and IVF treatment.

The conference included plenary talks, a range of speakers and a debate panel. It was organised and chaired by Dr Samuel Lee, an expert in IVF treatment and Prof John Carroll, Professor of Reproductive Physiology and Associate Dean of UCL Division of Biosciences.

The conference was organised with support from Cook Medical, Ferring Pharmaceuticals, FertiPro N.V., Hunter Scientific, Progress Educational Trust, Research Instruments Ltd., and Rocket Medical. Following the opening address by Lord Winston, the plenary talks set the scene and we assembled a panel consisting of practising fertility specialists and medical ethicists to add to the anthropo-medico-sociological knowledge of our plenary speakers; all experienced in the issues involved in the choices. The audience comprised clinicians, UCL experts, the public and social commentators. The whole event will be steered by Dr Ray Noble, Professors Gedis Grudzinskas and John Carroll who were responsible for making sure that the audience had plenty of opportunity to participate in the debate.

The conference focussed on key ethical issues

The conference explored the reasons why some women choose to become mothers late in life. This inter-disciplinary conference focussed on some of the ethical issues: Is it good for the parents? Is it good for the child? Is there a different standard applied to elderly mothers as opposed to elderly fathers?

Health and safety issues were also addressed, including the health risks associated with older women becoming pregnant, increased risks of high blood pressure, diabetes, developmental problems with the placenta and Caesarean section.

With sponsorship from Cook Medical, Ferring Pharmaceuticals, FertiPro N.V., Hunter Scientific, Progress Educational Trust, Research Instruments Ltd., and Rocket Medical