Egg donor or not? Why Hollywood keeps mum

Hollywood actor John Travolta, and his wife Kelly Preston, recently announced she was expecting a baby. Great news, and nothing unusual you might think....except that Kelly is 47 years old.

At this age, getting pregnant naturally is extremely unlikely. But here we are, with yet another Hollywood celebrity, seemingly overcoming the odds which were stacked against her. She joins a growing list of other stars, all over the age of 40, who have had children.

But whilst they’re happy to parade their baby bumps, none are very revealing when it comes to telling the world about how they managed to beat mother nature and still have children when they’re approaching their fifties.

It’s wrong and unfair to give the impression that they didn’t have any medical help. It gives older women false hope that getting pregnant in your forties is easy and straightforward – after all, if they can do it, so can I.

But what the headlines don’t tell you is that many women who get pregnant at this age may have needed multiple rounds of IVF, ovarian stimulation, or intrauterine insemination. It’s also likely they would have used donor eggs. Indeed, at Manchester Fertility, the maximum age for our treatments is fifty years old.

Women in their forties can conceive naturally of course, it’s still possible, but the chances of problems increase with age. And although many do end up with healthy babies, it’s important to be realistic.

But there’s no doubt that with the help of today’s assisted reproductive technology, many women can have their own Hollywood ending – whether they’re stars or not. But only if more people come forward to be egg donors. So if it’s something you’ve ever thought about, why not get in touch today on 0161 300 2730.