From Slate Magazine · Gideon Meyerowitz-Katz · · 1m 20s
Hilary Swank Pregnant at 52
Hilary Swank's pregnancy at 52 explained by fertility science.
In brief
Hilary Swank's pregnancy at 52 explained by fertility science. Hilary Swank conceived her third child using frozen eggs from age 37, with a 40% pregnancy rate for women over 40 using egg freezing. Originally reported by Slate Magazine.
Hilary Swank's pregnancy reveal
Hilary Swank recently revealed on Instagram she is pregnant with her third child at age 52.
“Hilary Swank recently revealed on Instagram that she is pregnant with her third child”
Why age 52 pregnancy is rare
Natural conception pregnancy rates drop to 10% by age 43 and are nearly impossible over 44.
“A 2020 review found a 12-month pregnancy rate of 25 percent at ages 35, 39, which fell to 10 percent by age 43”
IVF improves but remains challenging
IVF pregnancy rates at age 43 are around 15 percent but drop sharply after 44.
“The pregnancy rates might be as high as 15 percent at age 43, depending on what data you are looking at”
Egg freezing at age 37
Swank froze her eggs at age 37 for a 40% pregnancy rate with frozen eggs.
“Swank froze hers at age 37”
Cost of egg freezing
Egg freezing costs $20,000 per retrieval with multiple attempts common for older women.
“Freezing your eggs is an expensive procedure that costs somewhere in the region of $20,000 per retrieval”
Frozen egg pregnancy success
Women using frozen eggs have a 40% pregnancy rate regardless of age when thawed.
“A recent massive study from Australia and New Zealand found that even at older ages, the pregnancy rate was around 40 percent for women who froze and then thawed their eggs”
Why frozen eggs work
Younger eggs are genetically healthier and more likely to result in viable pregnancies.
“Younger eggs are more often genetically normal, and therefore result in more healthy embryos”
Pregnancy risks at older ages
Older pregnancies have higher risks of preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, and miscarriage.
“You’re much more likely to experience problems like preeclampsia and gestational diabetes”
Cost of older age pregnancy
Treatment costs rise significantly with age, potentially exceeding six figures for pregnancy.
“The exact cost is going to vary depending on where you go and how many implantations you have to do, but it’s easy to imagine the price tag being over six figures just to get pregnant”
The takeaway
Hilary Swank conceived her third child using frozen eggs from age 37, with a 40% pregnancy rate for women over 40 using egg freezing.
