Last week, yet another over-40 celeb announced her pregnancy. Anne Hathaway, age 43, shared a sweet video showcasing her new bump on Instagram. She joins Natalie Portman, 45, and Sienna Miller, 44, who are expecting this year. While the lives of celebrities often don’t reflect reality, when it comes to pregnancy over 40, we are living in a “celebs, they’re just like us” moment. Why? More women are getting pregnant after 40 than ever before.
However, as any woman over 35 and trying to get pregnant can attest, the prospect of becoming an “older mom” does not exactly get the red carpet treatment. After my second baby, I remember walking into my postpartum OB appointment feeling relatively calm and collected. As I neared the end of the appointment, I had one lingering question for my OB-GYN: how should I consider family planning if I hoped to have another baby? My doctor’s answer shocked me: “I’d like you to be done having babies by the time you’re 40.”
I felt my biological clock start ticking at double-time. Having experienced two miscarriages in my early 30s before having my two healthy babies, the thought of having such a short time to complete our family felt overwhelming. My doctor’s answer gave rise to a dozen new questions. I wondered what a pregnancy over 40 was really like. Would it be that different than my other pregnancies? So I went to the experts—women who’ve had babies after 40 (including celebs!) and asked an OB-GYN about pregnancy over 40.
Read More:
- Should I Induce At 39 Weeks or Wait? A Geriatric Pregnancy Dilemma
- We Were Done Having Kids—Then I Got Pregnant at 40 With an IUD
Key takeaways: Pregnancy over 40—what you need to know
- Pregnancy after 40 is more common than ever. More women are having babies in their 40s, whether by choice, circumstance, or surprise—so if this is your story, you’re far from alone.
- Yes, getting pregnant can be harder—but it’s absolutely possible. Fertility naturally declines with age, but many women conceive in their 40s. With support, women can increase their chances for a healthy pregnancy over 40.
- There are more risks, but also more monitoring and support. Pregnancy over 40 can come with a higher chance of complications—but close prenatal care helps many moms have healthy pregnancies and babies.
- There are unexpected upsides to becoming a mom later. Many older moms report feeling more emotionally grounded, financially stable, patient, and confident in themselves as parents—benefits that often get overlooked in the conversation.
- Every pregnancy story looks different. There’s no one-size-fits-all experience. The article goes beyond ‘advanced maternal age’ stereotypes to share honest experiences, expert advice, and what pregnancy after 40 actually looks like.
How common is getting pregnant after 40?
Interestingly, a 2025 study on this very topic shed some positive light on having babies at “advanced maternal age,” specifically for women over 40. On March 6, 2025, the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) released a study showing that more babies are now born to women over age 40 than to teenage girls. The updated data on U.S. fertility trends found that getting pregnant and having babies over age 40 is actually now more common than the rate at which teens are giving birth, for the first time in history.
What’s it like having babies after 40?
A viral post about the latest CDC fertility data by @thefemalequotient on Instagram garnered tons of comments from moms who had babies in their 40s. Many cited the positives of having babies after 40: more education, financial security, personal growth, a strong partnership, etc. While others noted the lack of systemic support for mothers of all ages.
We also asked our Instagram followers at The Everymom what they wish they knew about having babies after 40 and combed Reddit for insights from moms who’ve been there. Plus, celebs Natalie Portman and Sienna Miller—both currently pregnant at age 44—are sharing thoughts on pregnancy after 40.
Pros
“I had all three of my girls after I turned 40. No regrets in waiting,” shared @alexcrowley843
“[I wish I knew] that I wouldn’t be more tired, and I wouldn’t feel ancient,” shared one follower of The Everymom.
“45 with a 7 month old. I think it’s the best timing ever for our little family,” shared @aline_adita on The Everymom’s Instagram.
“Gave birth at 47, the best thing I’ve done in my life…I am far more solvent than when I was 25 or 30…I am far more stable and calmer than when I was younger. My professional life is sorted out, I believe I am far a better mum now than what I could’ve been in my 30s.” shared @reynos_de_indias.
“I had my daughter at 49, I loved being pregnant. Being a mom is the best thing in my life.” shared @greenlinebeauty_hollywood_, “Our 6th IVF cycle worked.❤️ and she’s perfect 🙌🏻❤️”
“Having two toddlers is a lot, but I don’t think that’s because I’m 44. If anything, I’m in better shape physically than I was in my 20s or 30s. Im definitely more patient now than I was when I was younger. And I’ve been amazed at how many other moms in their 40s with toddlers that I’ve met in my little town. You are not an anomaly, I promise,” shared Reddit user @TinanotBelcher.
Cons
“I wish I knew about the [increased] potential for prolapse,” shared another follower of The Everymom.
“Just had a baby this year at 47 and had my first at 21. Definitely prefer being an older mum. The only con is aging, or in my case, deceased grandparents. I miss the grandparent support I got with my first babies,” shared @kelban on The Everymom’s Instagram.
“I’m 36 and my mom had me at 42 and now I am her caregiver and she’s 78. It’s one of the hardest things I’ve ever been through and I don’t think older parents realize that they create children that will end up being their caregivers very early in life,” shared @moonmoonelizabeth.
Read More: She’s not alone, read what one mom wishes others knew about being in the ‘Sandwich Generation.’
Realities of being an ‘older mom’
“[I wish I knew] about all the extra care and monitoring that’s needed at this age,” shared a follower of The Everymom.
“I became a mom at 41, and I think it’s great!” shared @taylorcoffmanmade, “Waiting does mean you have to be proactive IMO…especially as you age bc risks do go up and time matters. So that way if you need extra support you have time to make those decisions.”
“I had my first at 45 and second at 47. I’m sure my energy level and fitness isn’t what it would have been if I were younger when I had them, but I sure am a better human being and mom…It’s weird seeing so many of my age peers who are launching their kiddos into college and beyond, but also, whatever. I am where I am and my life rolled out as it did in its own time,” shared Reddit user @LilBeansMom.
Celebs on having babies after 40
While celebrities tend to the means for fertility and childcare support, sometimes it helps to see famous women in the public eye having that over-40 pregnancy glow, too. Natalie Portman shared some of the perks of pregnancy after 40 in a Harper’s Bazaar article, “There’s a calm and knowing myself: who I want to spend time with, what kind of energy I want around me that makes the experience so beautiful every day.”
Sienna Miller shared in a Glamour article that, “Having had a baby at 29, and then having a baby at 42, and now 44, it’s so much easier when you don’t have the conflict of feeling scattered, and like you want to be doing X, Y, Z. If I’m in bed at 9 p.m. with a book, I’m so happy now.”
“Life is in a more grounded space. I think the 30s are chaos…But by the time you hit 40, you’re like, ‘I kind of know who I am… I’m a much more grounded human.’ We don’t judge men who are having kids in their 80s. Why on earth is there any sort of narrative?” Miller added.
“By the time you hit 40, you’re like, ‘I kind of know who I am… I’m a much more grounded human.’”
Other celebrities who had babies after 40? Halle Berry (47), Salma Hayek (41), Nicole Kidman (43), and Claire Danes (44).
To ease my mind about having the possibility of having children over age 40, I reached out to Brittanny Jo Keeler, a DO and Board-Certified OB-GYN based in Western New York, for additional clarity and perspective.
Brittanny Keeler, DO, NCMP
Dr. Keeler completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology with the University at Buffalo. She enjoys caring for women during the full spectrum of their lives—pregnancy, postpartum planning, and infertility. She is also a NAMS Certified Menopause Practitioner.
What exactly is ‘advanced maternal age’?
“Your OB is not wrong,” Dr. Keeler said when I shared that my doctor hoped I would be done having babies by 40. “It’s not necessarily to scare you, or dictate your life, or tell you what to do. Really, we want you to have the most information you can to make the best choices for you and your family.”
According to the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG), the designation I had received of “advanced maternal age (AMA)” applies to all women experiencing pregnancies that will reach full term at or after the age of 35.
After this age, pregnancy becomes much more difficult because not only do women have a decreasing number of eggs, but they also have a decreasing number of healthy eggs lacking genetic mutations. After the age of 35, the risks of miscarriage and stillbirth rise significantly, as does the risk of carrying a pregnancy with aneuploidies or other genetic abnormalities.
Age 35 is also a statistically significant age for a woman trying to conceive, as it marks the age at which any individual is at a higher risk for hypertensive disorders, gestational diabetes, and preterm delivery. For these risks to enter into the equation, Dr. Keeler emphasized that even the healthiest individuals are at a disadvantage.
“Even if you’re completely healthy and have no medical problems whatsoever, your age is still your biggest risk factor when it comes to those [complications],” she said. For many women in their 30s, such statistics can act as a starting point for how they think about family planning—or begin to think about family planning differently.
What is missing from the education around women’s fertility?
Erin Smith is a first-time mom who gave birth at age 39. She remembers considering the daunting statistics of trying to conceive without assistance after age 35, and wondering if time was against her.
“Especially as someone who trusts and believes in science, you can’t help but hear those numbers,” Smith said. “The risk of chromosomal defects increases, the risk of never being able to get pregnant at all […] I always heard those statistics and I knew that’s real math, that’s real science, that’s real data.”
Smith, now 40, says that though starting to have children later in life has changed how she envisions her future family, she also found comfort in the increased focus in the medical community on studying advanced maternal age.
In the end she feels more informed than intimidated—she knows that while the numbers pointed to the fact that getting pregnant might be more difficult, it wasn’t an impossibility.
“I also looked at those numbers and knew that that’s the law of averages, that’s statistics. It’s not everybody,” she said.
Cultural trends impacting fertility decisions
Beyond the considerations of maternal health and fertility, cultural trends also affect how some women consider family planning. Dr. Keeler remembers growing up in the ’90s, she often felt encouraged to focus on career first when she was younger, with the unspoken message that a family could wait. Similar messaging is often reflected in the overly optimistic timeline some of her patients have for conception. She wishes we had more education surrounding fertility and the preservation of fertility for women who may want to delay having a family. “I don’t want to say that women have been fed a lie,” she said, “But it’s a misconception that it’s going to be there when you’re ready for it, and that’s not always the case.”
In an FAQ section specifically devoted to advanced maternal age, ACOG notes that of women in their 20s and 30s, 1 in 4 will get pregnant any given cycle. While for women in their 40s, that number decreases to 1 in 10. And that by age 45, getting pregnant without intervention is even less likely.
In the United States, the number of women falling within the advanced maternal age designation is growing each year. Many women are delaying pregnancy, whether by choice or through circumstance, making education around fertility preservation and the possible complications faced by women of advanced maternal age more important than ever.
“By the time you’re ready[to start a family], things might be a lot more difficult than you imagined,” Dr. Keeler said. Her message to her patients of all ages: “This is something you should be thinking about. If you don’t want to have kids until your mid to late 30s, then you just have to be prepared that it may be a little more challenging than you anticipated.”
The emotional toll of trying to conceive, no matter your age
Dr. Keeler knows there is an emotional toll to navigating conception and pregnancy in your 30s and 40s. And shares that no matter the starting point, these experiences can prove emotionally charged in a number of ways.
“Everybody cries in my office,” she shared. “No matter where you’re starting from, this is a very emotional topic. Any struggles with infertility are hard. Any struggles with pregnancy loss are hard. Those are horrible, awful, emotionally lonely, devastating things to go through.”
Dr. Keeler, who is pregnant and due in May, acknowledged that the process of trying to conceive can be emotionally exhausting at any age and shares that she experienced a miscarriage before her current pregnancy.
“Everybody cries in my office. No matter where you’re starting from, this is a very emotional topic.”
“I think I went through what most people go through,” she shared about her experience with loss. “It’s a really lonely, tough thing to deal with,” she says, noting that the emotional toll doesn’t just affect those who have experienced pregnancy loss, but also those trying to conceive. “As an OB-GYN you have to acknowledge [the mental health] part. You have to make sure your patient is healthy from top to bottom.”
Dr. Keeler regularly refers patients who are struggling with infertility or pregnancy loss to therapists and support groups so they can connect with other individuals who can help them to process what they’re going through.
How to be proactive about preserving your fertility
While conception and pregnancy become more complicated after the age of 35, women fortunately have a variety of options for considering family planning proactively—whether now or in the future.
Smith knows that, for her, timing is everything if she wants to have another baby. So she started conversations about plans for her next pregnancy with her OB immediately following the birth of her daughter. Her [doctor’s] response was, “Oh! Wow! Another one!” Smith shared. But her doctor also noted, “We have older moms than you. If you’re going to do it, don’t wait too long.”
Dr. Keeler said that beyond considering the timing of pregnancies, there are a number of steps women hoping to conceive in their 30s and 40s can take to set themselves up for success, even before considering assisted reproductive technologies like in vitro fertilization (IVF).
An OB-GYN’s top fertility recommendations
At the top of the list of recommendations she often shares with patients who are hoping to become pregnant or preserve their fertility are many standard health considerations for women: eat a balanced diet, exercise regularly, maintain a healthy weight, don’t smoke, and limit alcohol. Keep tabs on your menstrual cycles and have any irregularities assessed by your doctor.
Another suggestion Dr. Keeler had for women trying to conceive is to consider testing to check their ovarian reserve. And to consider freezing their eggs if they have the financial resources to pursue that option. Even if you’re not ready to become pregnant at that time, the additional data can help you to make informed decisions about your fertility when the time comes.
Ultimately, knowledge is power
It may feel like a long laundry list of to-dos, but in the end, Dr. Keeler believes knowledge–especially about your own body, and your family’s health and reproductive history–is power.
“Knowledge–especially about your own body, and your family’s health and reproductive history–is power.”
“Nothing is impossible,” said Dr. Keeler. “We have a lot of science that can help us out. One of the biggest things you’re up against is the unknown. You just don’t know until you get there. There are a lot of paths to happiness. There are a lot of paths to achieving a family, there is no one right way.”
“The more information you have the better the choices you can make for yourself,” Dr. Keeler said. “[To] come from a place of knowledge is empowering.”
While navigating an advanced maternal age diagnosis during pregnancy might feel overwhelming for some, Smith says, for her, it’s worth it. When asked how she feels about coming to motherhood a little later than she might have imagined, she didn’t miss a beat.
“Without hesitation, it’s fantastic,” said Smith. “It’s hard. It’s really, really, really hard, but it’s definitely worth every sleepless second.”
Martha Swann-Quinn, Contributing Writer
Martha is a freelance writer and photographer who loves telling stories that focus on social justice issues, especially women’s health, pregnancy and pregnancy loss, matrescence, environmentalism, and bilingual family life. Her work has been featured in The Everymom, Parents, Kindred, National Public Radio, Brides Magazine, and Artifact Uprising, among others.
Julia Poulter, Senior Managing Editor
With more than 10 years of editorial experience, Julia is passionate about bringing motherhood stories to life and providing moms with interesting and informative parenting content. Prior to joining The Everygirl Media Group in 2019, she served as Executive Editor at Closer Weekly. As The Everymom’s Senior Managing Editor, Julia helps manage the brand’s editorial calendar and content strategy.
Images in feature graphics credited to Variety | Getty Images and Gareth Cattermole | Getty Images.
