Lost generation of grandparents

If women contine to have babies later in life support from grandparents will disappear, warns a leading fertility expert.
Dr Gedis Grudzinskas, consultant in gynaecology and infertility at London Bridge Hospital, said continuing trends in late motherhood would result in people becoming grandparents much later in life.
''That problems that can arise in this situation, when a woman's fertility is no longer at its best, are well documented, but what is not so readily recognised is the effect that later motherhood is having on the grandparent generation,'' he said.
A woman choosing to have her first baby at the age of 40 could see herself being around the age of 80 if her own child didn't produce a child until the age of 40.
This ''current fashion'' could lead to women finding themselves at the forefront of the sandwich generation - caring for youngsters and elderly parents at the same time, warned Dr Grudzinskas.
He said: ''The unlucky daughter could find herself in the difficult position of caring for her elderly mother at the same time as she is adjusting to becoming a new mother herself.
''No one's suggesting that a woman should get pregnant because there's a broody grandparent in the family, but it is worth just considering what we are going to lose with the demise of the grandparent role.  Grandparents with a lifetime of experience are a source of wisdom for the next generation.
''We see so many women who have left having a family too late and who are now trying IVF in the hope that a much-wanted baby will be conceived. It is not unusual for potential grandparents to contribute to the cost of treatment in the hope that not only will their child become a parent, but also that they may have the joy of becoming a grandparent.''