France is revisiting its limits on in vitro fertilization, or IVF, in the wake of stories about a 59-year-old woman who sidestepped national regulations by going to Vietnam for the treatment.
She is expecting triplets.
IVF in France is only available to women 43 years old and younger. Unwilling to accept that, the woman went to Vietnam for the treatment. She is now being treated under France's medicare system at Cochin Hospital in Paris.
French bioethicists condemned the woman's actions.
"Certainly we are seeing a change in society where the age to get pregnant naturally is rising but everyone must understand that you cannot have a child at any age," said Sadek Beloucif, president of the ethics board of the l'Agence de la Biomédecine.
"This is important for the health of the mother and for the health of the baby."
Beloucif called for a standard age across Europe for providing IVF, saying Cypress and Ukraine are also popular destinations for older women wanting IVF.
France's bioethics laws are to be re-examined next year -- with IVF, surrogate mothers (currently banned in France) and gay rights among issues to be debated.
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