The Daily Telegraph

Celebrities who fall pregnant later in life are giving older women false hope

Are the ‘miracle’ pregnancies of celebrities inspiring women to delay motherhood and, if so, at what cost? Sunday Style speaks to fertility specialists about the difficulties older women face.

When Mornings co-host Sonia Kruger announced her pregnancy recently at the age of 48, fertility specialist Dr Devora Lieberman couldn’t help but grimace.

Experience has long taught her that every time a high-profile woman well into her forties makes such an announcement, her switchboard will soon light up with similar-aged women demanding, “So-and-so had a baby at 47, so why can’t I?”

“It makes sense, of course. The media is saturated with stories of celebrities who claim to have fallen pregnant naturally in their forties and fifties, and this plays on their minds,” says Lieberman, who works at Sydney fertility clinic.

She’s talking about the likes of actors Kelly Preston and Geena Davis, who both had children aged 48; Halle Berry, whose pregnancy at 46 was apparently the result of her daughter Nahla’s “prayers”; and even ’80s model Cheryl Tiegs, who swears that although a surrogate carried her twins, her own 52-year-old eggs were used for the procedure.

“I’ve been taking care of myself for so long, I know not just my reproductive organs, but my heart, you know, is much younger than what I am,” she told American television host Larry King when he dared suggest otherwise during an interview.

This time, however, things were to be different.

Just as Lieberman began preparing her familiar “Don’t believe everything you read” argument, Kruger did something surprising – she admitted her pregnancy was the result of IVF and eggs donated by a friend.

“When you get to my age, to use your own eggs to have a baby, you’re not going to be successful,” she told colleague Richard Wilkins on Mornings.

Few could have been more thrilled with Kruger’s decision to go public with the truth than Lieberman.

“If more celebrities came out and told women how it is, it might help hammer the point home that there is no ‘miracle’ baby after the age of 45,” she says, adding that by the age of 42, 50 percent of women can’t get pregnant using their eggs, and by 45, it rarely happens.

“If a celebrity is pregnant after that age, you can rest assured it’s almost certainly by IVF and using a donor egg.” Lieberman’s reaction to the news is warranted.

Although how and when a public figure falls pregnant isn’t really anyone else’s business (“They’re entitled to their privacy, just like everyone else,” she concedes), she argues that tales of celebrity ‘miracle babies’ not only risk giving false hope to older women praying for a miracle of their own, they may also inspire a sense of complacency in younger women, who incorrectly assume they’ve got years of baby-free living up their own reproductive sleeves.

It’s a way of thinking, adds Lieberman, that can have devastating consequences.

“The chances of falling pregnant in your twenties are much lower than you think – only 20 to 25 percent each month – and this decreases every year, dipping to 10 to 15 percent after the age of 35,” she says.

By 40, it hovers around the five percent mark, and by 45 you’ve got less than a one percent chance.

The biggest problem with all this? In 1991, 23 percent of new mothers were aged 30 or older.

In 2011, 43 percent were.

Older mums are indisputably becoming more commonplace (‘older’ being the term for any new mothers over 35, according to the medical profession).

Fertility specialist Dr Devora Lieberman said it is extremely difficult for women over 42 to use their own eggs to fall pregnant.

So, taking all of this into account, the question needs to be asked: where is this procrastination coming from? Celebrity influence aside, one of the biggest factors is our collective mindset that IVF can always “buy me an extra X amount of years”, says Lieberman.

“I’m finding women today struggle to accept their body’s limitations and this is often because they’re high-achieving women who are used to being in control of their lives, and for many [their fertility] is the first time they’re up against something they can’t control.”

Dr Gino Pecoraro, obstetrician and obstetrics and gynecology spokesman for the Australian Medical Association, is more blunt: “Women have been told for years, ‘Hey, you can have it all,’” he says.

“But they should have been told the whole truth, which is: ‘You can have it all – the house, the kids, and the career – just not at the same time.’ I’m here to tell you Mother Nature is one cruel leveler and if you think your fertility is going to play by your rules while you finish building your career and dream house, you’re sadly mistaken.” IVF is not quite the panacea we once thought it was.

Although it improves our chances of conception, at around $8000 a cycle up-front with a $4000–$5000 rebate, the associated costs make it prohibitive for many Australian families.

And its success rates are sobering at best.

In 2011, the chance of a live birth per started treatment cycle in the 30–34 age group was 25.3 percent, and only 6.6 percent for women aged 40–44.

Women aged 45 and up? A mere 1.2 percent.

“On the whole, we’re very good at freezing eggs, but we’re not so great at thawing them,” admits Pecoraro.

“And at the end of the day, it’s just a medical procedure; it still can’t change the quality of your eggs, which, by the age of fortysomething, are more than a little difficult to fertilise.”

It is extremely difficult for women to fall pregnant as they get older, even using IVF.

Using an egg donated from a younger woman can make all the difference and, according to one recent study published in The New England Journal of Medicine, IVF using a donated egg gives women in their forties the same chance of having a baby as a woman in her twenties.

The catch? The process involves costly trips overseas to access egg banks in South Africa, Greece, or the United States at a cost of anywhere between $10,000 and $12,000 in South Africa to $25,000 in the US (on the bright side, the American banks offer a ‘money-back guarantee’ if your pregnancy doesn’t result in a live baby).

On home soil, the cost of the procedure is a lot less, about $7000, but the egg donorship can only be altruistic, given to you as a gift from a friend, family member, or stranger.

However, donating eggs is not something many of us jump at the chance to do.

Still, young eggs can’t fix old bodies and while falling pregnant may be the easy part for some, getting through the pregnancy is another challenge.

“The health risks of having a baby later in life are significant and while everyone’s fixated on the implantation part, most appear ignorant of what it means to carry a baby at this age,” says Pecoraro.

Although some argue that age brings with it many advantages on an emotional level, the physical risks shouldn’t be dismissed.

They include an increased risk of chromosomal abnormalities such as Down syndrome (a one in 30 risk at the age of 43 compared with one in 1000 at 30); a higher risk of gestational diabetes, placenta praevia (a condition in which the placenta implants near the cervix, preventing vaginal birth) and high blood pressure; an increased likelihood of both multiple births and miscarriage; a greater chance of giving birth prematurely; and an increased risk of intervention, which for many will end in cesarean delivery.

“At the end of the day, science can only do so much because a 45-year-old body is still a 45-year-old body, and 45-year-old bodies aren’t built to make babies,” says Pecoraro.

That said, it’s not always up to us when we have our children.

Delayed motherhood is also about women finding the right partner or when it’s financially viable – facts the experts acknowledge.

But if you’re in a stable relationship, with the means and the will, then they recommend trying sooner rather than later.

“I realise women today feel incredible pressure to master both a family life and a career.

However, it’s worth noting in this day and age that you can be a CEO at 18 or you can be a CEO at 80, but your window to motherhood is very limited – so think carefully about your choices,” says Pecoraro.

Lieberman agrees.

“The truth is, there’s never a good time to have a baby – the house can always be bigger, the holiday more exotic and the promotions more impressive, so have the conversation today and take a calculated risk.” Yeah, but what would they know? They’re just fertility experts.

Why not just listen to actor Susan Sarandon’s take on how she conceived her baby at the age of 45?

“If anyone out there’s having trouble getting pregnant, go to Italy. Have a summer and don’t worry about it, and eat and drink and f*ck, and you’ll probably get pregnant.” Quite.

How to boost your fertility at any age

Give your body that extra edge when it comes to producing mini munchkins and try the following. If you still haven’t conceived in 12 months (six months if you’re over 35), make an appointment with your doctor.

1. Have sex frequently (and at the right time) You are at your most fertile in the five days leading up to and on the day of ovulation, so get busy during this period. At an absolute minimum, you should be having sex at least once every two days.
2. Cut down the caffeine Research has shown that having as little as one cup of coffee a day can halve your chances of falling pregnant. Best give up or cut down (depending on your constitution).
3. Don’t smoke or drink Both can play havoc with your reproductive system, so it’s recommended you rid yourself of the two habits altogether.
4. Maintain a healthy BMI Being overweight (or drastically underweight) can affect your fertility. Aim for a BMI that’s within the healthy range (18.5–25).
5. Involve your man The quality of your partner’s sperm is important, so ensure he follows the same rules above, eats foods high in zinc (or takes zinc supplements) and, as healthy sperm is best produced in cooler conditions, wears loose boxers and pants.

Article published The Daily Telegraph: Celebrities who fall pregnant later in life are giving older women false hope