They say the best age for pregnancy remains 20 to 35.
The specialists, led by Dr Susan Bewley, who treats women with high-risk pregnancies at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital, warn age-related fertility problems increase after 35 and dramatically after 40.
In the British Medical Journal, the specialists write, "Paradoxically, the availability of IVF [in-vitro fertilization] may lull women into infertility while they wait for a suitable partner and concentrate on their careers and achieving security and a comfortable living standard."
Once an older woman does become pregnant, she runs a greater risk of miscarriage, fetal and chromosomal abnormalities, and pregnancy-related diseases.
They add, "Women want to 'have it all' but biology is unchanged; deferring defies nature and risks heartbreak."
