A Crash Course in Feminine Careerism

Mastered the art of multitasking? Check. Read the rules of office politics? Check. Figured out how to tame your boss? Check. Conquered your biological clock?

Huh-- ?

Yes, ladies, in your quest to climb the corporate ladder, this is one skill you'd better acquire â€" fast. The "Brazen Careerist," Penelope Trunk, took the liberty this week of using a story about a high-powered friend with fertility issues to gently remind the women folk that holding off on getting pregnant til your mid thirties is a bad idea. "Statistically it is a very bad idea if it's important to you to carry your own child. There is no science magic that makes a mid-life pregnancy a low-risk endeavor."

But, never fear, ambitious working women. Penelope has whipped up three easy steps for how to get where you want and have kids:

1. Get a husband. I know, this is not popular advice, but it's practical advice. A husband is like a career. If you are not looking for one, you're not likely to find one. If it's not a high priority goal, it's probably not a goal you will meet. So if you want to make sure you're making babies with your own healthy eggs, think of your twenties as the time to find a mate.

2. Freeze your eggs. If you don't want to exert control over your life by finding a husband, how about using control over your life to save some good eggs? The Wall Street Journal reports that even though it's not actually proven technology, women are signing up in droves. The treatment is expensive--up to $14,000--but often that's peanuts to women who will spend their most fertile years climbing corporate ladders.

3. Test your eggs for premature aging. Yep. That's right. Eggs age differently in different women. And the aging process could get faster or slower relative to the general population. This means that while most women need to start having babies before age 35 to manage risk well, some women need to start earlier.

(Matt + Menopause for Dummies courtesy of ftzdomino)