I was 43 when I had DD. Talking to my younger friends, I don't think our experience has been particularly different, other than the fact that they went on to have more children and I didn't. Have many, many friends who have had babies in their early 40s for various reasons (though almost none because they put their careers first which is the reason the tabloids love to cite). Mostly because they hadn't met anyone they wanted to have children with until later, or they'd been trying for a long time until it happened etc etc