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Pregnant at 47: Can I do that?
By Elizabeth Cohen, CNN Senior Medical Correspondent
May 27, 2010 8:13 a.m. EDT
Kelly Preston, with husband John Travolta, is the latest celebrity to get pregnant in her late 40s.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
(CNN) -- This month, actress Kelly Preston announced that she was pregnant at the age of 47, prompting TV talk show discussions about the marvels of modern medicine that allowed Preston and her husband, actor John Travolta, to have a baby so late in life.
But 47 -- that's nothing. Compared with some other women, Preston's practically a baby.
Last year, Dr. David Kreiner, a reproductive endocrinologist in New York, helped a woman have a baby at 54. Dr. Jamie Grifo, also in New York, recently helped a woman get pregnant at age 55.
Both doctors say these days, it's not that difficult to get pregnant in your late 40s or early 50s -- as long as you have two things: someone else's eggs and at least $16,000 or so.
"Most women can get pregnant with donor eggs," said Kreiner, the medical director of East Coast Fertility in Plainview, New York. "The only reason you wouldn't be able to is if you have problems with your uterus, such as scarring or fibroids we can't operate on. But only about 1 to 5 percent of women have those problems."
So with donor eggs, could a woman get pregnant at, say, age 80?
"Theoretically, one would think there's no age limit," Kreiner said. "But it hasn't been tested."
Preston, who hasn't said whether she conceived naturally or with the help of donor eggs or any other form of technology, joins a list of celebrities who became pregnant in their mid- to late 40s. According to People magazine, actresses Geena Davis had a baby at age 46, Beverly D'Angelo at 49, Marcia Cross at 44 and supermodel Iman at 45. Actress Holly Hunter had twins at 47.
When celebrities get pregnant late in life, women sometimes assume they got pregnant naturally, reproductive endocrinologists say.
"They come in and say, 'Well, so-and-so got pregnant, and she's 47. My husband and I have been trying for so long. Why can't I get pregnant?' " said Dr. Hilton Kort, founder of Reproductive Biology Associates in Atlanta, Georgia. "I try to explain to them, we don't know how that celebrity got pregnant."
It's highly unusual for a woman to get pregnant on her own after age 45. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2008 there were 0.7 births per 1,000 women ages 45 to 49, compared with 9.9 births per 1,000 women ages 44 to 40.
Here are some questions and answers about having a baby that late in life.
Like Kelly Preston, I'm 47. What are my chances of getting pregnant naturally?
Slim to none, doctors say.
"Spontaneous pregnancy [rates for] someone 47 is VERY low," Kort wrote in an e-mail, explaining that your chances of conceiving naturally at that age are less than 5 percent each month, and the miscarriage rate in the first trimester is 70 to 80 percent.
"It's not impossible that someone aged 47 [got pregnant] without assistance, but it's highly unlikely," he adds.
By Elizabeth Cohen, CNN Senior Medical Correspondent
May 27, 2010 8:13 a.m. EDT
Kelly Preston, with husband John Travolta, is the latest celebrity to get pregnant in her late 40s.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Doctors: Getting pregnant in late 40s or early 50s is not difficult, just use donor eggs
- It's highly unusual for a woman to get pregnant on her own after age 45
- Older pregnancies can thrive, but there is greater risk of high blood pressure, diabetes
(CNN) -- This month, actress Kelly Preston announced that she was pregnant at the age of 47, prompting TV talk show discussions about the marvels of modern medicine that allowed Preston and her husband, actor John Travolta, to have a baby so late in life.
But 47 -- that's nothing. Compared with some other women, Preston's practically a baby.
Last year, Dr. David Kreiner, a reproductive endocrinologist in New York, helped a woman have a baby at 54. Dr. Jamie Grifo, also in New York, recently helped a woman get pregnant at age 55.
Both doctors say these days, it's not that difficult to get pregnant in your late 40s or early 50s -- as long as you have two things: someone else's eggs and at least $16,000 or so.
"Most women can get pregnant with donor eggs," said Kreiner, the medical director of East Coast Fertility in Plainview, New York. "The only reason you wouldn't be able to is if you have problems with your uterus, such as scarring or fibroids we can't operate on. But only about 1 to 5 percent of women have those problems."
So with donor eggs, could a woman get pregnant at, say, age 80?
"Theoretically, one would think there's no age limit," Kreiner said. "But it hasn't been tested."
Preston, who hasn't said whether she conceived naturally or with the help of donor eggs or any other form of technology, joins a list of celebrities who became pregnant in their mid- to late 40s. According to People magazine, actresses Geena Davis had a baby at age 46, Beverly D'Angelo at 49, Marcia Cross at 44 and supermodel Iman at 45. Actress Holly Hunter had twins at 47.
When celebrities get pregnant late in life, women sometimes assume they got pregnant naturally, reproductive endocrinologists say.
"They come in and say, 'Well, so-and-so got pregnant, and she's 47. My husband and I have been trying for so long. Why can't I get pregnant?' " said Dr. Hilton Kort, founder of Reproductive Biology Associates in Atlanta, Georgia. "I try to explain to them, we don't know how that celebrity got pregnant."
It's highly unusual for a woman to get pregnant on her own after age 45. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2008 there were 0.7 births per 1,000 women ages 45 to 49, compared with 9.9 births per 1,000 women ages 44 to 40.
Here are some questions and answers about having a baby that late in life.
Like Kelly Preston, I'm 47. What are my chances of getting pregnant naturally?
Slim to none, doctors say.
"Spontaneous pregnancy [rates for] someone 47 is VERY low," Kort wrote in an e-mail, explaining that your chances of conceiving naturally at that age are less than 5 percent each month, and the miscarriage rate in the first trimester is 70 to 80 percent.
"It's not impossible that someone aged 47 [got pregnant] without assistance, but it's highly unlikely," he adds.
