Who makes the rules about age?

Italian gynaecologist Severino Antinori grabbed headlines in the ’90s when he used IVF and egg donation to help menopausal women get pregnant — in 1993, a 59-year-old from Britain gave birth to twins.

A year later, an Italian, aged 62, had a son.

Could the same happen in Ireland? Unlikely, says Dr David Walsh, Sims IVF medical director. “We’re a very conservative nation — Ireland’s not going to be the new Italy.”