Dr. David Keefe Contributes to New York Times Article on Waiting to Conceive
August 29, 2010
Gigi Fernandez always seemed perfectly positioned on the court, winning 17 Grand Slam doubles titles and reaching No. 1 before retiring in 1997 at age 33. It was only when she tried to have a baby in her 40s that she found herself on the wrong side of the line. Seven unsuccessful fertility treatments later, Fernandez sat with her partner, Jane Geddes, and listened numbly as her doctor said that her eggs were old and that her Hall of Fame tennis career had contributed to her inability to conceive. David L. Keefe, MD, the chairman of obstetrics and gynecology at NYU Langone Medical Center, said natural fertility rates for women declined gradually from ages 35 to 38 and more precipitously after that. In a telephone interview, Keefe, who did not treat Fernandez, said he would advise professional athletes in their early 20s to consider freezing their eggs.
