In the news recently was a story about a Japanese woman in her 50s who has given birth to her own grandchild.

Her daughter could not become pregnant, having had her uterus removed due to cancer. Although surrogate motherhood is frowned upon in Japan, the woman agreed to in vitro fertilization to help her daughter and her son-in-law have their own child.

Woman Gives Birth to Grandchild

More and more women in the US are experiencing their first pregnancy after 40 and the number of women having babies in their 50s is increasing. Some, like the woman in Japan, are acting as surrogates and having children for their daughters. Still others are having their own children, taking advantage of the latest advances in fertility techniques and in vitro fertilization.

But the dangers and risks of pregnancy increase with the age of the mother, and there are other factors to consider for both the mother and child. How old will the mother be when the child starts school, graduates or has children of his or her own?

Dr. Phil has an article on pregnancy and child-rearing in later life at his website. It neither discourages nor encourages but sets out the facts for those considering a pregnancy in later life.

Having a Baby in Later Life

By Andrea Paulsen

A new website called Sideways Health looks at innovative and traditional ways to beat common health problems.

The emphasis is on non-invasive treatments which are both gentle and effective.

There will also be a strand concentrating on the GI method (Glycemic Index) as a way of improving alertness and mental functioning, as well as overall health and optimum weight.

This site is well worth following if you want a different approach to managing your health apart from the expensive, technological methods of conventional medicine and healthcare.

It’s a fact of life that skin starts to sag as we get older. The upper arms are no exception. If this is one of your sensitive spots, try this massage oil.

Exercise such as walking, running and swimming, can help tone and firm, and gentle upward massage will help banish cellulite by encouraging lymphatic drainage.

Massage oil for the upper arms
45ml (3 tbspn) jojoba oil
10ml (1 dspn) rose masqueta oil
1 capsule wheatgerm oil
1 capsule evening primrose oil
3 drops essential oil of either rose or jasmine
5 drops essential oil of lavender
4 drops essential oil of either bois de rose or lemon
100ml bottle

Mix together in the bottle. After a bath or shower, use the oil to massage the triceps muscle from the elbow upwards. This oil will keep for up to two months.

Adapted from “Secrets of Youth and Beauty” by Daniele Ryman.

The new movie of Sex And The City has started a frantic wave of product placements although the movie won’t be released until next summer.

Carrie Bradshaw in Vivienne Westwood wedding dress

In the movie, Carrie Bradshaw gets married in a Vivienne Westwood dress and runs around Manhattan in Christian Dior Gladiator sandals and a YSL dress.

Another character, sexy Samantha, dresses in head-to-toe red Zac Posen while clutching a Cavalli bag.

Sweet Charlotte shops with Miranda, carrying a quilted Chanel clutch and shod in matching Louboutins.

Designer name-dropping has already begun way before the film hits the cinemas.

It’s said that major brands and designers worldwide spent months bidding for top placements in this high-profile movie product platform.

For the film, a spin-off from the long-running TV show, Sarah Jessica Parker, who plays Carrie, began fittings in August for her 80 costume changes.

“To get clothes for spring-summer 2008, there would be someone from Yves Saint Laurent standing there ready to strip me of them and take them back,” she said.

An insider adds: “When Sex And The City’s wardrobe supervisor Patricia Field’s office calls to borrow something, believe me, you jump for that phone. It’s like winning the lottery.”

The film, set in New York, has a great female cast including Meg Ryan, Annette Bening and Eva Mendes along with the famous four.

“Nowadays it’s hugely important for films to have corporate partners. It’s very expensive to make a movie, but also to promote it,” said Lori Sale, head of global branded entertainment for agency ICM.

“The first thing that came to me was to go ahead with it,” says executive producer Michael Patrick King. “Then I thought: ‘Hang on, Carrie would never order that’.”

Lori Sale comments, “On a film such as Sex And The City, the costume designer is going to have a strong opinion, and so she should. They are entrusting the look of the movie to her.”

One source is reported as saying, “They are hoping it becomes a franchise. They would love to do four or five Sex And The City movies.”