In case you've been hiding under a rock the past few days, Halle Berry is pregnant with her second child. This is exciting news for Berry and her beau, French actor Oliver Martinez—and somewhat surprising news to the rest of the world, considering Berry is 46.
The hottie actress is joining a Hollywood trend of actresses who are getting pregnant later in life—Uma Thurman, Salma Hayek, Kelly Preston, Mariah Carey, Jane Seymour, and Celine Dion—and this isn't her first time doing it. Berry was 41 when she had her first daughter, Nahla.
But is Hollywood creating some sort of fantasyland of middle-aged celebs pushing strollers that will leave the rest of us "civilians" keeping our fingers crossed for later-in-life bundles of joy, only to be more than likely disappointed due to our lack of bulging bank accounts and resources?
There may be a trickle down effect: According to a report from the National Center for Health Statistics in 2012, the number of women in their late 30s and early 40s popping out babies is on the rise. The reason for woman wanting to wait seems obvious: Women are getting married later, and our careers are more important to us than ever.
"With my youngest client being 21 years old, I have worked with women up to 46 and consulted recently with a woman who was 52 and entering an IVF cycle," says Latham Thomas, a maternity lifestyle expert and founder of Mama Glow, proving that more everyday women are hopping on the celeb bandwagon.
But what are the risks associated with this growing trend of later-in-life pregnancies?
"In medicine, 'advanced maternal age' is defined as a woman who is 35 years or more at the time of childbirth," explains Dr. Jennifer Wider, an OB-GYN and Cosmo Radio women's health expert. "Many healthy women who get pregnant after the age of 35 and older can have healthy babies, but there are definitely things to keep in mind."
"As a woman ages, there is an increase risk of chromosomal abnormalities in her eggs," adds Dr. Wider, which in turn, raises her risk for miscarriage. Still, Dr. Wider notes that there are tests available to see whether the child will have any sort of chromosomal problem as a result of a woman's age. Even so, IVF and other fertility cycles can prove massively expensive for non-celebrities.
"Celebrity or not, women should speak to their doctors about their own health and ability to maintain a healthy pregnancy," Dr.Wider advises. "Each case is different...So no matter how many trainers, nutritionists, etc, a woman can afford, she can't change her genetics and she can't change the fact that her eggs may be older."
Thomas, who has worked with celebrities and non-celebrities alike, agrees. "Again it goes back to how well you take care of yourself. Genetics play a role too. There is a saying: 'Your eggs are as old as you look.'"
"(Halle Berry) eats well, drinks a lot of water, gets adequate exercise, gets rest, has adequate support and is in great physical shape to undergo this pregnancy," adds Thomas. "The great news is its not her first pregnancy. Any woman in this age bracket must take her health into consideration as pregnancy affects older women differently than younger women. I think Halle's pregnancy will encourage women who want to get pregnant later in life to take charge of their health."
Not all of us have hit the genetic jackpot. So maybe these celebs should start sporting advisory warnings on their maternity wear.
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