How did these women become pregnant so late in life when statistically, the chances of conceiving are miniscule if not zero? According to doctors, pretty much the only way to become pregnant in your mid to late forties is by using donor eggs.
More and more women are choosing to become mothers later in life. Whether through IVF, adoption, surrogacy, or natural conception, these celebs became moms after 40. Hilary Swank, who is 48, gave birth to twins in 2023.
Susan Sarandon welcomed her sons Jack Henry Robbins at age 42 and Miles Guthrie at age 45. The Thelma & Louise star gave birth to her first child, daughter Eva when she was 39.
Pregnancy in Your 40s
If you get pregnant after 35 years old, experts call this an “advanced maternal age” pregnancy. But it's still possible to get pregnant and deliver a healthy baby in your 40s. Childbirth at older ages has become more common too. Since the 1990s, birth rates in people aged 40-44 have gone up.
It is true that fertility does decline with age, but many women conceive naturally aged over 40 and go on to have healthy pregnancies and healthy babies.
“It's exceptionally rare for patients to get pregnant naturally at 50 or over 45. They make history,” said Dr. David Keefe, an obstetrician-gynecologist and fertility researcher at New York University. In part that's because around age 50, many women are entering menopause, after which egg harvesting isn't possible.
Naomi Campbell has no regrets welcoming her first baby at 50 years old.
Anthea gave birth to her son, Nicholas Jay, on June 15, 2011. English actress Tina Malone gave birth to a baby girl in December 2013 at the age of 50, after IVF treatment. American singer Sophie B. Hawkins gave birth to a baby girl named Esther Ballantine Hawkins on July 7, 2015, at the age of 50, after IVF treatment.
If you're older than 35 and hoping to get pregnant, you're in good company. Many families are delaying pregnancy well into their 30s and beyond — and delivering healthy babies. Taking special care can help give your baby the best start.
According to doctors, pretty much the only way to become pregnant in your mid to late forties is by using donor eggs. Understandably, celebrities rarely announce the way they became pregnant unless a surrogate was involved (like with Nicole Kidman and Sarah Jessica Parker).
Cameron Diaz became a mother at the age of 47, as did Halle Berry and Susan Sarandon.
Having a baby after 40 may give couples the chance to wait until they are more emotionally and financially prepared for parenthood. However, it can make it more difficult to get pregnant, as fertility declines with age. For women, in particular, fertility dramatically declines over the age of 40.
The longest recorded human pregnancy was 375 days, or just over 12 months. The baby was born at nearly 10 pounds and was healthy. The mother, Beulah Hunter, was a 25-year-old teacher from Los Angeles and the father was her husband.
Pregnancy after age 45 years is infrequent and the mother and baby should be considered as a high risk. There is a greater incidence of spontaneous abortion, gestational trophoblastic disease and chromosomal abnormalities in the fetus.
Is it dangerous to be pregnant at age 47? "The scientific literature says women do quite well in pregnancy at this age," Grifo said. "But it is a little riskier. There's a higher risk of developing high blood pressure, diabetes, and needing a C-section, all of which are manageable."
While it's not impossible to become pregnant naturally at 50, it is very rare. Women are born with all of the eggs they will ever have. As you get older, you have fewer eggs, and they are more likely to have abnormalities. Most women who get pregnant after 50 use donor eggs.
There's no maximum age that stops a man from being able to have a baby. You can become a father long into your older years, but there are risks.
Brazilian actress Cláudia Raia couldn't believe it when doctors delivered the news — she was pregnant at age 55. “When the doctor asked me for a beta, the pregnancy blood test, I said, 'Baby, you're really crazy. Where did you get this from?
Giving birth at that age is rare but not unheard of. Hayer gave birth less than two years after Frieda Birnbaum, 60, of Saddle River, N.J., had twins boys after undergoing in-vitro fertilization. Still, Hayer's obstetrician, Colin Birch, told CBC that he was initially disbelieving.
While delivering at age 35 and older is officially considered “advanced maternal age,” Dr. Kalish notes that in reality, there's no “magic number” for being at-risk for complications. “A healthy 38-year-old could have an easier pregnancy than a 20-year-old who has multiple medical issues,” Dr.
Though studies show that 10-25% of all pregnancies end in miscarriage, with advanced maternal age, this risk increases exponentially. To wit, between the ages of 40-44, 34% of pregnancies end in miscarriage. After 45, this number jumps to 53%.
While stories about women giving birth in their 50s, 60s, and even 70s make for good headlines, these pregnancies are usually accomplished with donor eggs and in vitro fertilization (IVF). There is no set oldest age when you can get pregnant naturally, but fertility starts to decline as you age.