brewer's AZ bill and "menopause babies". [View all]

[Cerridwen]

This is what happens when legislation isn't based on science.

As I understand the new law, the gestational age of the fetus is counting back to the last menstrual cycle of the woman. Is that correct?

Now, read and think about this:

When a woman goes through menopause, her body phases out menstrual cycles until they stop all together. The woman may go for months or even a year between having one period and the next. This long time frame is at the heart of the undiscovered menopause baby.

During the time when the female body is not having a menstrual cycle, the body may still be releasing those last few eggs. If the egg is released and there is a viable sperm waiting to fertilize the egg, the female can, and will, get pregnant.

Thanks to the lack of a normal menstrual cycle, the female may not notice they are pregnant until they are months into the pregnancy. There have even been cases where mothers of climbing age have gone to the hospital with stomach and back pains only to leave the hospital a few days later with a baby in their arms.

From this link: http://www.babymed.com/gettting-pregnant-during-menopause

"A year between having one period and the next"

Based on an exceptional case, it is conceivable (pun intended) that the gestational age of the fetus - based on the AZ law - would make what would normally be a 16-week pregnancy (~4 months) into a 16 month pregnancy? I wonder how many 21-month-old babies will be born in AZ in the coming months and years? *sigh*