In today’s society, where many can become obsessed with social media and celebrity culture, we have to ask ourselves whether fertility is being fairly represented within the media or whether it is in fact being distorted with many celebrity pregnancies in later life being publicised.
Celebrity pregnancies are always highly reported on, often making the front covers of the news we see around us every day, so it makes sense that this sort of coverage influences our perceptions of fertility.
Confusing messages?
Doctors have suggested that the disproportionately large number of celebrities who get pregnant during their forties might be helping spread misconceptions about how easy it is to get pregnant at this age. In fact, some of these celebrities are likely to have had long struggles with infertility and may have undergone fertility treatments to help them conceive, but comparatively few provide details (understandably) about these issues and it can appear that they have become ‘miraculously’ pregnant in their mid-forties without any struggles or treatment.
Ageing and fertility
The unfortunate truth is that by our mid-forties, we can find it exceptionally difficult to conceive naturally due to our ovarian reserve decreasing as we age. IVF in older women using their own eggs is also greatly affected by poor egg quality, which is why using donated eggs can greatly increase the chance of a successful pregnancy.
It is understandable that celebrities might want to keep this emotional part of their life out of the public eye. However, women like Nicole Kidman and Chrissy Teigen have been very open about their fertility problems and how much they have had to go through to have children. In doing so, they have helped to show how common fertility problems are and how many of us go through treatment for them.
Criticism
Unfortunately, with being in the public eye, celebrities are also susceptible to a lot of criticism from people who do not agree with their actions. There has been a lot of press recently about Bridgette Nielson giving birth at the age of 54 and many critics said she was too old to be having a baby, but who are they to decide? Leaving pregnancy until later in life is becoming much more common and the latest figures released by the Office of National Statistics showed conception rates had decreased in all age groups, except for those aged over 40 and over, where the rate increased by 2%. Assured Fertility can offer guaranteed IVF treatment to women up to the age of 49, but after the age of 42 they are solely using donated eggs as it gives people a lot better chance of a success.
At Assured we have many women taking advantage of our egg donation plan. It is one of those things that until you know you need it, you are unlikely to have thought anything about it or how it works. I always say that there are absolutely no stupid questions when it comes to considering donor eggs and am always happy to answer any queries you have about the process. Feel free to call me on 0333 234 0895 to chat more on this subject!
Holly Scott, Patient and Clinic Liaison Manager
Assured Fertility provide fast-tracked IVF and egg donation plans with no hidden extras. If you don’t have a baby you get 100% of your money back.*
*subject to acceptance on our plan
