Supermodel Gisele Bündchen is reportedly expecting a child with her boyfriend, jiu-jitsu instructor Joaquim Valente.
At 44, she has two children (14 and 11 years old) with football superstar and ex-husband Tom Brady, and this will be her first with her 35-year-old current partner.
The Brazilian stunner has long been a figurehead in the wellness community and is widely looked to for her health and fitness tips. Still, doctors and medical organizations warn against becoming pregnant over the age of 40, as it can pose increased risks to both mother and baby.
Fertility declines sharply in a woman’s 40s: one in four women between the ages of 20 and 30 can become pregnant within one menstrual cycle, compared to just one in 10 women in their 40s.
Not only is it more difficult to conceive, but a woman age 40 and older may be at greater risk of developing certain pregnancy complications, including preeclampsia, a condition in which high blood pressure during pregnancy becomes life-threatening.
They are also more likely to have children with birth defects such as Down syndrome.
Laura Morton, 60, and Rosanne Austin, 50, both gave birth to their children at the age of 44.
They told DailyMail.com that having a baby over 40 can come with unhappy judgment from others – it’s also a rewarding experience. The hardest part, she added, was getting pregnant in the first place.
Gisele Bündchen, 44, plans to welcome her third child. She is pictured here before her pregnancy in 2023 in New York City
Bündchen shares two children with football superstar and ex-husband Tom Brady. The two finalized their divorce in October 2022
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Austin said, “I would encourage (Giselle) to ignore the statistics. You know, be aware of it, but focus more on her personal health and her unique circumstances.
‘She has access to the kind of care that many people don’t have, so she is very well positioned to have an uneventful, perfectly glorious pregnancy.’
Austin, now 50, is an attorney and life coach in California. Shortly before she turned 44, she gave birth to her son.
She initially struggled to conceive and the process began at the age of 37, when she was still working as a trial lawyer. She tried clean eating, acupuncture, abdominal massage and vaginal steam baths, but still had trouble conceiving.
At the age of 40, a round of IVF worked, but she suffered a miscarriage shortly into the pregnancy. According to Mayo Clinicthe risk of miscarriage during pregnancy at age 40 is 33 to 40 percent, compared to 20 percent at age 35.
When she finally adjusted her work schedule to reduce her stress and adopted a more positive attitude, she became pregnant at the age of 43.
Yet the judgment of others was harsh: “I can’t even tell you, just as everyone likes to spread their fear on you.”
She lost count of the number of people who spoke to her with “negativity and condescension” when she was trying to get pregnant and when she was already pregnant.
Rosanne Austin transitioned from a career as a prosecutor in California to a fertility coach after her difficulties conceiving
Austin, who has since left her law job and now acts as a fertility coach for women aged 20 to 50, said it’s true that there are greater risks of getting pregnant after 40.
But, she added, the reality is that people are settling down – and having children – later in life and the technology that exists to support that means there has never been a better time to try to conceive.
That’s why Austin added, “There’s kind of a baby boom going on for women in their 40s.”
Morton, also a California native and author and filmmaker, gave birth to her daughter a month before she turned 44.
She conceived her after seven rounds of IVF therapy with a sperm donor, after initial resistance from a gynecologist who warned against going through the process at her age and alone.
Morton told DailyMail.com: ‘It was quite a journey and I didn’t tell anyone I was going through it. I didn’t want to hear everyone’s nightmare stories.’
Once she became pregnant, she said, her fertility doctor became concerned early on that some of her blood tests indicated she might have a miscarriage.
After five weeks of nerve-wracking tests, her doctor ruled her pregnancy healthy. Nearly eight months later, she woke up bleeding and rushed to the hospital in panic.
Doctors said they couldn’t explain the cause, but her pregnancy was fine. Shortly afterwards she gave birth to her daughter without complications.
Morton said: ‘Becoming pregnant and becoming a parent in my 40s… I think there was a real blessing in that for me, I was so much more settled in my life. I was able to make very good decisions.’
It was strange, she sometimes said, to be one of the oldest mothers in the daycare, or to see her friend’s children old enough to watch her newborn, but she felt supported by the people in her life.
Having a baby in her 40s meant something to her, and she said she hopes Bündchen can take the time to enjoy the little moments.
She added, “Enjoy every moment of pregnancy and every moment of being an older mom because now she really has so much experience to bring to the table.”