M y children were born when I was in my 30s. I thought I had started my family relatively late and used to worry that they would see me as an 'old' mum.

So I was astonished to read recently about the couple who have had twins at the age of 56 after IVF treatment enabled them to re-start their family.

Surely that is the time in your life when you look forward to making plans of your own?

I imagined how I would feel taking my children to their first day at school in my early 60s; watching their graduation in my mid-70s and maybe, if I was lucky, attending their weddings in my 80s.

They said that one of the reasons they wanted more children was that they felt lonely. An empty space had been left after their three older children had grown up.

Most people consider getting a pet or look forward to welcoming grandchildren into their lives. Bringing a child into the world because you're feeling bored and lonely is not the best start for that child.

I can't help thinking that perhaps what this couple needed was to look within their relationship to find a solution to their dilemma.