Infertility

It has sparked fresh concerns that delayed childbearing will significantly affect New Zealand's future and prompted calls for government action.

The Fertility NZ commissioned study of 1000 women showed nearly one in five aged 27-plus had fertility problems - defined as the inability to conceive after a year of trying, or to carry a baby to term.

The survey found that women aged 24-26 had a 10 per cent That jumped to 18 per cent in the 27- to 29-year age bracket and 21 per cent for 30- to 34-year-olds.

Fertility NZ director Sian Harcourt was stunned at the results.

"Women are lulled into a false sense of security in thinking they've got until 35 before they need to start worrying about having babies but that's not so," she said.

The survey group were all over 18 and included 710 mothers.

Almost all (90 per cent) of the women aged 60-plus in the study started their families in their 20s but only 36 per cent of those aged less than 30 had had babies.

"The majority of women are now leaving childbirth to their 30s so the window of opportunity to try naturally and then consider or receive fertility treatment - if needed - is uncomfortably small," Harcourt said.

"There is going to be a whole bunch of people who would have been successful if they had their family earlier, but they will end u...

Even more amazing is how Bonds has so far escaped any punishment outside of the court of public opinion.

He got a break when the principals of the BALCO scandal all pleaded guilty and avoided what would have been an embarrassing - and revealing - trial in court and, without the publication of the book, would have likely gotten through another season unscathed.

That season starts a week from now, with Bonds just seven home runs from breaking Babe Ruth's mark of 714.

The Giants say they plan to celebrate the occasion, but it had better happen at home because it could be an ugly scene on the road.

The truth is Bonds - and the juiced sluggers before him - are a disgrace to the game.

Their home run records are meaningless and they have no business in the record books or the Hall of Fame.

The best lawyers in San Francisco can't find a way to spin that enough.

-_ Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press.

Write to him at tdahlberg@ap.org email this print thisreprint or license this News Copyright ...

Even more amazing is how Bonds has so far escaped any punishment outside of the court of public opinion.

He got a break when the principals of the BALCO scandal all pleaded guilty and avoided what would have been an embarrassing - and revealing - trial in court and, without the publication of the book, would have likely gotten through another season unscathed.

That season starts a week from now, with Bonds just seven home runs from breaking Babe Ruth's mark of 714.

The Giants say they plan to celebrate the occasion, but it had better happen at home because it could be an ugly scene on the road.

The truth is Bonds - and the juiced sluggers before him - are a disgrace to the game.

Their home run records are meaningless and they have no business in the record books or the Hall of Fame.

The best lawyers in San Francisco can't find a way to spin that enough.

-_ Tim Dahlberg is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press.

Write to him at tdahlberg@ap.org email this print thisreprint or license this News Copyright ...