Pregnancy and maternity care over 40

When the pregnancy test is positive, it’s a wonderful moment. But we understand that it’s often accompanied by anxiety about what will happen next. Sadly, not every pregnancy leads to a healthy live birth for Mum and baby. In women over 40, miscarriage is more common, and chromosomal disorders such as Down syndrome are more likely to affect the fetus. The loss of a pregnancy as a result of miscarriage is a tragedy in any circumstances, especially so when the pregnancy has arisen from, the stress and expectation of fertility treatment.

Pregnancy monitoring cannot prevent miscarriage, but the greater risk of miscarriage in older women is a good reason to consider fertility treatment as a journey which continues right to the point of safe delivery, and not just to a positive pregnancy test.

The LWC works closely with one of the UK’s leading obstetricians Mr Ruwan Wimalasundera at the London Ultrasound Centre to offer guidance through this exciting but sometimes anxious period. We can provide close monitoring of your pregnancy, your babies development and detailed screening for chromosomal abnormalities such as Down syndrome.

Find out more about pregnancy and maternity care

Meet the Fertility for the Over-40s team

Our dedicated Fertility for the Over-40s team includes specialists in fertility, gynaecology, obstetrics and genetics.

Professor Nick Macklon, Medical Director

Professor Macklon is a world-renowned expert in reproductive medicine. He has held professorships at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands, the University of Southampton and the University of Copenhagen - where he is currently based. He is co-founder of the Complete Fertility Centre clinic in Southampton, and a member of the Executive Committee of the European Society of Human Reproduction.

Dr Shailaja Nair, Deputy Clinical Director

Dr Nair has more than 20 years experience in fertility and assisted reproduction. She worked as Associate Professor in a large teaching hospital and at the Cromwell IVF programme before joining the LWC in 1993. Dr Nair has extensive experience in all aspects of assisted conception, with a special interest in the egg-sharing and gamete donation programmes.

Mr Michael Summers, Consultant in Reproductive Medicine

A graduate of King’s College, Cambridge Mr Summers completed his medical training at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine followed by a Clinical Fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School. He is certified by both the American College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (ACOG) as well as on the GMC Specialist Register as a Consultant in Reproductive Medicine. His special interests include IVF, embryo culture, embryo implantation and pre-implantation genetic diagnostics, areas of research in which he has published extensively.

Dr Mona Rahmati, Consultant Gynaecologist and Fertility Specialist

Dr Rahmati graduated and completed her training in Gynaecology, Obstetrics and Reproductive Medicine in Rene Descartes - Paris V University. Before joining the team in 2015, she was a consultant in Pitie-Salpetriere Hospital and Bluets Hospital in Paris. Her special areas of interest are recurrent implantation failure and recurrent miscarriage.

Professor Alan Handyside, Consultant in Pre-implantation Genetics

Professor Handyside is a leading scientist in human embryology and the genetics of early human development having pioneered the development of Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) and Genetic Embryo Testing for chromosome aneuploidy - two groundbreaking techniques for identifying genetic abnormality and for assisting embryo selection. He supports team in all aspects of patient care and continues to lead important developments in embryo assessment.

Mr Ruwan Wimalasundera, Medical Director

Mr Ruwan Wimalasundera is Medical Director of the London Ultrasound Centre and Head of Obstetrics at the world renowned University College London Hospital (UCLH). He manages all aspects of pregnancy and delivers at UCLH and the Portland Hospital.

Pregnancy and maternity care over 40