Well, your child-bearing years aren't necessarily gone, but even if they are, there is the possibility of adopting a child. It sounds like you made the right decision to end the relationship. Edit: seeing as you are Irish, IIRC there are long waiting lists for adoption, though this may or may not change. But something worth thinking about nevertheless. Every day in the Irish media I see stories of kids getting in trouble with the police, sounds like there is a crying need for responsible parents, even if not the birth parents.