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From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.<\/p>\n
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Your support makes all the difference.<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nRead more<\/span><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nE<\/span>verywhere I look, there seems to be a headline about a celebrity in her forties having a child. Aubrey Plaza is expecting her first child, aged 41, with partner Christopher Abbott, while both Sienna and Savannah Miller are expecting children in their mid-forties.<\/p>\nSienna has said she counts herself as \u201creally fortunate\u201d to be expecting her third child at the age of 44, and says being pregnant in her forties is \u201cthe best\u201d because her life is in a \u201cmore grounded space\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u201cHaving had a baby at 29, and then having a baby at 42, and now 44, it\u2019s so much easier,\u201d she recently told Glamour <\/em>magazine \u2013 as if women\u2019s declining fertility as they age is absolutely meaningless. \u201cWe don’t judge men who are having kids in their 80s. Why on earth is there any sort of narrative?\u201d <\/p>\nSienna froze her eggs, but she \u201cdidn’t use them\u201d and got pregnant naturally. Likewise her fashion designer sister, Savannah, is expecting her fourth child at 47 and shared photos of her baby bump last month.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur longed for miracle baby is joining gang in August!\u201d she said, referring to her pregnancy as a \u201cprofound and phenomenal gift.\u201d<\/p>\n
It really is, but it\u2019s also a struggle. Celebrities make it sound easy-peasy to be older mums and have kids later in life, but that\u2019s not always the case. For me and countless other women who leave it until our forties, it is an utter nightmare. <\/p>\n
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Sienna Miller’s sister Savannah revealed on Instagram in March that she is pregnant with her first child with new husband, James Whewell, aged 47 (Savannah Miller\/Instagram)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nI waited for the right man to have kids, but by the time I found him and we were ready to have children, I was 38. When we embarked on an IVF journey after I was told my ovarian reserve was practically non-existent, I spent more than \u00a380,000 on fertility treatments to welcome my \u201cmiracle babies\u201d, first at the age of 40 and then 42. I was lucky to have equity in my flat, which I plundered in a desperate last-ditch attempt to have my longed-for children in 2016 and 2018 \u2013 but many people do not have those sorts of funds at the ready. <\/p>\n
That\u2019s why these celebrity \u201cmiracle\u201d stories are selling a sometimes impossible dream of motherhood over 40. While they share about how it is \u201ceasier\u201d to have children in their forties, they rarely talk about the challenges of getting pregnant after 40. I know the brutal truth. <\/p>\n
By the time I ended up in a fertility expert\u2019s office, I was told I had a 1 to 5 per cent chance of conceiving if I resorted to IVF. Although every woman\u2019s fertility clock is different, what is missing is a reality check: having a baby over 40 is often hard. Around one in seven couples of any age may have difficulty conceiving, according to the NHS, and any pregnancy in a woman over 35 is labelled a \u201cgeriatric pregnancy\u201d or \u201cadvanced maternal age\u201d precisely because risks can increase with age. <\/p>\n
But that narrative is rarely discussed during celebrity interviews. The Millers aren\u2019t alone in excitedly announcing their pregnancies over 40 \u2013 supermodel Gisele B\u00fcndchen welcomed her third child in early 2025 aged 44, while actor Hilary Swank welcomed twins, Aya and Ohm, at age 48 in April 2023, describing the experience as a \u201ctotal miracle\u201d having frozen her eggs at the age of 37. <\/p>\n
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Aubrey Plaza has confirmed she is pregnant with her first child aged 41 (Getty)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nNaomi Campbell famously had her first child at 50 in 2021 and a second in 2023 at 53 \u2013 saying \u201cit’s never too late\u201d. Chloe Sevigny gave birth to her first child aged 45, Rachel Weisz had a child aged 48 with Daniel Craig, and Halle Berry had her second child at the age of 47. <\/p>\n
I\u2019m happy for them all, but I also can\u2019t help but ask how it was so easy for them while millions of women in their forties and even their thirties are crying their eyes out over yet another failed pregnancy test? <\/p>\n
The Night Manager<\/em> actor Camila Morrone, 28, has added fuel to the fire by sharing her admiration for women having babies in their forties and defying social norms in April\u2019s issue of Porter<\/em> magazine. \u201cBut I look around and the possibilities are just expanding [in Hollywood],\u201d she said. \u201cI love that the norm now can be first-time moms in their forties. I\u2019m all about breaking up with what we think we know. And being pro-women at all costs \u2013 it really is that simple.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
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Hilary Swank welcomed twins, Aya and Ohm, at age 48 in April 2023 (Invision\/AP)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nIt\u2019s not that simple, however. This \u201cmiracle\u201d baby narrative is driven by a fantasy that we can have kids whenever we like, and why the hell shouldn\u2019t we do it when it suits us! The 40-plus celebrity mother typically throws fire onto that fantasy by saying it is the best era to have a baby because they are more grounded, stable, and have increased patience \u2013 all of which I can attest to. <\/p>\n
But their proclamations of the joys and ease of a \u201cmiracle\u201d pregnancy make out that age doesn\u2019t matter, which is sadly not the truth, no matter how much I wish it were. And while I don\u2019t judge any of them for wanting kids later in life as I did, it would be helpful if they could share either their own truthful fertility challenges, or warn others that it\u2019s not the norm.<\/p>\n
It is true that a record number of women in their forties are now having children, according to official data, as the birth rate continues to drop off in younger age groups. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in America shows the birth rate for women aged 40 to 44 rose 4 per cent in 2022 compared to the previous year. There was also a 12 per cent rise from 2021 to 2022 among women who were aged 45 to 49 years having babies, the first change in this rate since 2015.<\/p>\n\n
\nMore than half of intended pregnancies in women aged 42 \u2013 nearly 55 per cent \u2013 resulted in foetal loss<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
However, natural fertility declines significantly after age 40. According to experts, the chances of getting pregnant naturally after 45 are very low, typically estimated at 1 per cent \u2013 and most women in their early 40s only have a five per cent chance of becoming pregnant per month of trying. While natural conception is possible, declining egg quality and quantity make it difficult.<\/p>\n
Nearly 55 per cent of intended pregnancies in women aged 42 resulted in foetal loss, according to a large study published in the BMJ in 2020. In younger age groups, the risk of miscarriage was lower, around 10 per cent for women aged 20-24, but started to rise more sharply nearer to the age of 35, when it was over 20 per cent. <\/p>\n
By the time I had my daughters, Lola and Liberty, it was termed a \u201cgeriatric pregnancy\u201d, and I looked upon it like a miracle. It had taken me four years and I spent thousands on IVF. <\/p>\n
So while Sienna calls it \u201ceasy\u201d, I\u2019d point out that such success stories are luring women into a false sense of security. Many women can\u2019t afford IVF \u2013 and even if they can, it\u2019s not a guarantee. Hopeful mums aged 40 to 42 only enjoyed a 10 per cent birth rate per embryo transferred in 2022, according to HFEA research, declining to just 5 per cent in women aged 43 to 44 in that year. For women aged 18 to 34, IVF birth rates were higher at 35 per cent per embryo transferred. This is if you are lucky to even have a viable embryo transferred \u2013 many times mine weren\u2019t \u201cgood enough\u201d due to my age.<\/p>\n
For this reason, IVF isn\u2019t usually recommended for women over 42 as the success rate is considered too low. <\/p>\n
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Gisele B\u00fcndchen welcomed her third child aged 44 in early 2025 (Gisele B\u00fcndchen\/Instagram)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nThe reality for women in their 40s trying to conceive is that the majority of them will find it challenging \u2013 and by the time they hit their mid-forties, it\u2019s rare. <\/p>\n
While some of the celebrities in their forties having children are doing so naturally, others are conceiving with IVF by using their own eggs, ones they froze when they were younger, or via a donor egg. But we rarely hear about the details. <\/p>\n
Of course, women should have kids whenever they want \u2013 as long as they are prepared for the risk of failure, or financial hardship. But the great lie that age is irrelevant for motherhood shouldn\u2019t be glossed over. Having a baby isn\u2019t a Hollywood film \u2013 it\u2019s real life.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference. Read more Everywhere I look, there seems to be a headline about a celebrity in her forties having a child. Aubrey Plaza is expecting her first child, aged 41, with partner Christopher Abbott, while both Sienna and Savannah Miller are expecting children in their mid-forties. Sienna has said she counts herself as \u201creally fortunate\u201d to be expecting her third child at the age of 44, and says being pregnant in her forties is \u201cthe best\u201d because her life is in a \u201cmore grounded space\u201d. \u201cHaving had a baby at 29, and then having a baby at 42, and now 44, it\u2019s so much easier,\u201d she recently told Glamour magazine \u2013 as if women\u2019s declining fertility as they age is absolutely meaningless. \u201cWe don’t judge men who are having kids in their 80s. Why on earth is there any sort of narrative?\u201d Sienna froze her eggs, but she \u201cdidn’t use them\u201d and got pregnant naturally. Likewise her fashion designer sister, Savannah, is expecting her fourth child at 47 and shared photos of her baby bump last month. \u201cOur longed for miracle baby is joining…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14299,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14298"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14298"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14298\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14299"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14298"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14298"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14298"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}