Of course, I could try IVF. But having watched my friend TV presenter Clare Nasir go through it, I know how tough the journey is. Emotional fool I may be, but even I can see that's too selfish a course of action to impose on my family.
— Kate Garraway
Much is written about parenting - its joys and tribulations - and then about the transition into hot flushes, night sweats and (if we're lucky) a new life as a grandmother.
My closet contains plenty of clothes I don't wear any more, a few I've never worn and one or two items I still struggle to believe I ever bought in the first place.
I look at my gorgeous girl and boy, with their incredible zest for life, and I count my undoubted blessings. But there's no question about it: I wish I'd started my family sooner. Much much sooner.
Coast is my go-to store for any awards do - it's brilliant for occasion wear.
I had the biggest dry-cleaning bill on 'Daybreak' because I was always on the run and spilling coffee on myself.
Since I was a little girl, my family has taken a holiday to Cornwall every spring half-term.
I wear a lot of block colour dresses on television as the simplicity translates well on camera and blue is often a colour I rely on as it goes with everything.
There's no need to go the full hog - a touch of subtle sequins will lift any outfit.
I am older than most of my on-screen colleagues, and the ones behind the scenes, too.
There are lots of scary things about getting older, but one of the biggest, I guess, is death itself. Especially in midlife, when we suddenly wake up to the fact we may have fewer years left than we have already lived.
It's a bit of a joke among my friends that, although I'm very busy, active and constantly rushing around all over the place, I've always struggled to fit any 'real' exercise into my life.
Ageing might have its drawbacks but it brings with it hard-won wisdom and a wonderful sense of freedom.
I realise, of course, that my cluttered existence is deeply unfashionable.
When you've been in a relationship for a long time, the physical side of things can be very unspontaneous.
My husband is very much of the ilk that expects to waited on hand and foot during the festive season.
I think a lot of the political programmes have decided that most people aren't interested in politics, so they broadcast only for people who are.
My rational mind knows I am blessed. So many women - some of whom I've interviewed over the years - endure infertility and childlessness.
I'm a danger to myself and others in expensive, designer shops, as they send me giddy with excitement, causing me to snap up all manner of silly things.
Hiding at the back of every woman's wardrobe, regardless of her age or shape, you'll find a sad and sorry collection of all her fashion howlers and regrets.
I'm not suggesting for a minute that you settle for the first half-decent man who comes along - every woman has the right to hold out for Mr Right - but you may find that really addressing your feelings about having a family means the man you thought was Mr Right comes in a different form.
The clever thing about the designs on 'Strictly' is that the razzle-dazzle comes from the materials used in making the dresses rather than because the cut or style is plunging or revealing.
Once, when I was about eight, my mum handed me a sandwich, and I remarked: 'What are those weird things on your hands?' I was referring to the visible pores, which were such a contrast to my own alabaster-smooth skin. My mum looked mortified, while my grandma laughed and said: 'They're nothing - look at mine!'
There's something deliciously flirty about a ruffle.
You don't always have to opt for a dress on a night out - a sequin pencil skirt can be far more chic.
The key to transforming your look with a collar is ensuring that it looks as if it's part of the dress, so there shouldn't be any skin visible underneath.
I work in an industry where most people are way below 50.
I have always felt so bombarded with dietary advice that always seemed to make me feel guilty about the 'naughty' food I secretly preferred, that I switched off and ate what I fancied.
After my first marriage ended in 2002 I went out with someone who made me feel very sexy. He was ten years younger than me and full of the joy of youth, which was wonderful after all the sadness of divorce, and a great confidence boost.
Looking back on my early romantic life, I was more worried about what impression I made on my dates than what I thought of them. I would approach them as though they were job interviews, trying to wow the man so that he would ask me out again and I got the 'job.'
Don't get me wrong, I think it's important to keep things clean. It's just the neatness I struggle with.
True, I do love finding something nice for my nearest and dearest, but there is still a pressure to find the perfect present for every member of the family.
Whatever my husband may say, I don't think men really understand what it is like to be a woman, or particularly a mother, at Christmas time.
Derek, my husband, is a psychotherapist.
As a presenter on 'Daybreak,' I am lucky in that we have a brilliant wardrobe lady who chooses our on-screen clothes.
How many of those forty-something celebrities, staring out from the covers of magazines with their beautiful babies, have conceived naturally, or without assistance? Not as many as you might think I would wager - yet for so many women they act as fertility beacons, a symbol of hope in a landscape of diminishing fertility.
We actively encourage teenagers not to have babies, we applaud young career women in their twenties, then before you know it you find yourself, as I did, aged 32 at a friend's wedding and being quizzed by everyone about why you haven't got round to reproducing yet.
I used to be chaotic and unkempt.
If it means being settled and content, getting older can be a relief.
As a child, I would rush to the school gates as the bell went, to be collected by my mother, Marilyn, who was always immaculately dressed in a pencil skirt and matching jacket.
Sequin trousers can be scary and many women may worry they will be unflattering on their legs.
At 49, you want people to think you are at least a decade younger, not a year older.
Midlife is a time of explosive change, when our hormones rampage and our bodies alter, forcing us into a whole new chapter of life whether we want it or not. Everyone has a moment when they realise for sure that this so-called passage of time is changing them - and perhaps not in a good way.
In some ways it's hard not to be a bit cynical when a friend tells you about their fantastic new diet, because there's a fresh eating fad in the press every day.
A friend puts body moisturiser on every day because it makes her feel desirable. I have started doing it, too, and it really works.
Some of the most productive people in history have been self-confessed 'muck-middens,' as my husband would say: Agatha Christie, Benjamin Franklin and even Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, to name a few.
When you're juggling children, a marriage and a couple of jobs, something has to give - and, for me, it's living in a perfectly tidy home.
Just because it is Christmas doesn't mean you should bottle all your feelings up. Mind you, sometimes being a good wife does mean knowing when to shut up.
I think that political coverage generally comes in on a level that means if you live and breathe Westminster detail and diary, then you get it.
