In an era when opportunities for women are greater than at any time in history, it seems some women are surprised to discover the limitations of biology. We wrote about the limitations imposed by age a few months ago (see our post, What’s Age Got To Do With It? Your Eggs or Alternatives). A recent survey of 61 women who conceived and gave birth after age 40 via in vitro fertilization found that half had been shocked to learn they needed fertility treatment in order to conceive.

“We found that women did not have a clear understanding of the age at which fertility begins to decline,” the researchers wrote, as reported by Fox News. Thirty-one percent of the women surveyed said they expected to get pregnant with no difficulty at age 40. Twenty-eight percent of women polled said they were misled by incorrect information from friends, doctors and media headlines about celebrities having babies in their 40s.