Being a mother over the age of 40

Published: 17 October 2013|Last updated: 11 October 2022|About Assisted Reproduction.|

Thanks to the enormous development of assisted reproductive techniques, being a mother at an older age is no longer a privilege reserved for celebrities

Whether for personal or professional reasons, more and more women are postponing their motherhood until they are past the age of 40. In recent decades the role of women in society has undergone many changes, and as a result, so has the experience of motherhood.

The cases of famous international artists who have decided to be mothers after the age of forty are perhaps the ones best known to the public. One of the latest is that of the popular American actress Uma Thurman who, following a very successful film career, last year gave birth to her third child at the age of 42.

Other examples of late mothers are those of the Hollywood stars Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon, the well-known couple from the film Thelma & Louise. Davis was a mother for the first time at the age of 46 and has now given birth to twins at the age of 48. Sarandon has taken a similar path, as she had her second child at the age of 43 and the third at the age of 46.

Other famous examples exist in the film industry. The well-known actress Halle Berry gave birth to her first child at the age of 41, and this October, she has just given birth to her second baby at the age of 47. Monica Bellucci also enjoyed the experience of motherhood at a similar age (40 and 46).

This list is also quite long among singers: Mariah Carey and Céline Dion also had their twins after the age of forty.

Difficulties in getting pregnant

This phenomenon is by no means exclusive to celebrities. Today, conciliating family and professional life is a very complicated task for everyone. For this reason it is normal for women from the real world to decide to have children at these ages. Since fertility is reduced with time, in such cases it is common to experience difficulties in conceiving.

Continuously postponing of the age at which one decides to have children is not good news, but it is a reality. Thanks to the growing development of assisted reproductive technology, many of the limitations imposed by nature no longer exist, making motherhood possible.

Furthermore, for quite some time now, these therapies have stopped being available to only a select few. They are now a habitual practice and a great opportunity for thousands of women who want to be mothers at the time that suits them best.

Faced with these situations, treatments such as artificial insemination or in vitro fertilisation may be helpful for these women. However, in other cases, due to the woman’s age, it will not be possible to use her eggs and an egg donor must be used. For this reason freezing the woman’s eggs at a younger age is an option used by many women who want to postpone their motherhood for personal or social reasons.

In all cases, postponing motherhood beyond the age of forty may lead to certain difficulties in getting pregnant with guarantees. For this reason, Eugin Clinic recommends contacting a professional in order to evaluate the best option in each case.

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