As Cameron Diaz welcomes third baby at 53, experts warn that older celebrity mothers could give false hope to women desperate to conceive.
The chances that the actress conceived naturally at 53 are small, and therefore there are a number of options she could have used. These include surrogacy with a donor egg or her own egg, if she froze them some years earlier.
As she joins a growing list of A-listers who welcome children in their late 40s and early 50s – including Janet Jackson and Halle Berry – doctors said that measuring yourself up against high-profile examples can ‘oversimplify’ how hard the reality of getting pregnant later in life can be.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Dr Panicos Shangaris, Consultant in Obstetrics, Maternal & Fetal Medicine at Central Health London, said that it is not always clear if A-listers have had special fertility procedures or used donor eggs – which can put pressure on hopeful parents hoping to achieve results without the same access to treatment.
Donor eggs in particular would come from younger women, where doctors say ‘egg quality is higher, and that can make a significant difference to success rates’.
‘It is always lovely to see a family welcome a baby, and Cameron Diaz is absolutely entitled to privacy around the details,’ he explained.
‘However, celebrity stories of motherhood in their 50s can unintentionally create a misleading picture of fertility.
‘The biological reality is that natural conception becomes much harder after 40 and is exceptionally uncommon in the 50s, largely because both egg number and egg quality decline with age.
According to the British Fertility Society, the chance of pregnancy in each natural menstrual cycle is nearly 20 per cent for women aged 30 or under – but falls to around five per cent by age 40.
‘IVF success with a woman’s own eggs also drops sharply,’ Dr Shangaris shared. ‘HFEA data from 2023 show that the birth rate using fresh embryo transfers with a patient’s own eggs was 35 per cent per embryo transferred for women aged 18–34, but only 5 per cent for women aged 43–44.
‘By contrast, donor eggs can substantially change the picture – HFEA data show that for patients aged 43–50, birth rates increase from around 5 per cent with their own eggs to over 30 per cent with donor eggs.’
Because of this, he said, the ‘important message for women in their 40s and 50s is please do not blame yourself if it is not happening’.
Fans were equal parts shocked and delighted when Cameron Diaz revealed that she had had a baby at 53, as her husband Benji Madden yesterday announced that the couple were ‘feeling so blessed to announce the birth of their third child, Nautas Madden’
‘In many celebrity cases, we do not know whether donor eggs, frozen embryos, IVF or surrogacy have been involved,’ Dr Panicos Shangaris continued.
‘And those are valid routes to parenthood, but they are not the same as spontaneous conception, and they are not equally accessible to everyone.
‘Greater openness, where people feel comfortable sharing it, would help reduce stigma and give women a more realistic and compassionate understanding of their options.’
‘Ultimately, the message to women is to be informed,’ Dr Sima Al Asad, Female Wellness and Intimate Health expert, stressed.
‘If you are trying to conceive, clinical guidance recommends seeking medical advice after one year of unsuccessful attempts if under 36, and after six months if aged 36 and over. There are options available, but it’s important to approach this with realistic expectations based on clinical evidence.’
‘It’s important to manage expectations around age-related fertility decline in line with established clinical evidence.
‘While these stories can feel hopeful, from a medical perspective, natural conception in the late 40s and 50s is very uncommon, due to the decline in egg quantity and quality with increasing age.
‘By the mid-40s, fertility has already significantly reduced, and the likelihood of pregnancy using a woman’s own eggs is low.’
She added: ‘For many women in this age group, pregnancy may involve assisted reproductive technologies such as in vitro fertilisation (IVF), sometimes using donor eggs.
‘Success rates using a woman’s own eggs over the age of 43 are low per cycle, which is why alternative options may be discussed in clinical care.
‘Without this context, public narratives can unintentionally create misleading expectations about fertility outcomes and may lead to confusion about individual fertility.
In 2016, Janet Jackson surprised fans when she revealed she was expecting her first child with her now estranged husband Wissam Al Mana at the age of 50
Meanwhile, Halle Berry conceived her son Maceo with ex-husband Olivier Martinez at the age of 47, describing it as a natural ‘miracle’
Elsewhere in 2018, Rachel Weisz revealed that she was expecting her first child with husband Daniel Craig aged 48
‘Of course, individuals have the right to keep their reproductive choices private. However, it is important that public understanding reflects that fertility outcomes at later ages are often supported by medical treatment.’
Cameron, 53, is just one of the A-listers who has conceived in their late 40s and 50s.
In 2016, Janet Jackson surprised fans when she revealed she was expecting her first child with her now estranged husband Wissam Al Mana at the age of 50.
Elsewhere in 2018, Rachel Weisz revealed that she was expecting her first child with husband Daniel Craig aged 48.
Meanwhile, Halle Berry conceived her son Maceo with ex-husband Olivier Martinez at the age of 47, describing it as a natural ‘miracle’.
They haven’t spoken about using donor eggs, so it cannot be known if any of these A-listers did.
