Magazines tend to exaggerate fertility at advanced reproductive age: Study

Popular magazines featuring older pregnant celebrities on their covers with no mention of the risks attached to it, contribute to women's belief that they can safely put off pregnancy until later ages, a recent study suggests.

The findings have shown that popular magazines commonly feature older pregnant celebrities on their covers with no mention of the risks of advanced maternal age pregnancy or the advanced reproductive technologies and methods needed to achieve these pregnancies.

According to the team of researchers, by downplaying fertility decline with advancing age, these magazines tend to contribute to women's belief that they can safely put off pregnancy until later ages.

As part of the study, published in the Journal of Women's Health, the researchers examined 416 magazine issues aimed at reproductive-aged women and found that fertility was highlighted on one-third of the covers, which included the mention of 240 different celebrities.

More than half were of advanced maternal age (AMA), but there were only two mentions of pregnancy risks associated with (AMA). A third of the AMA pregnancies were among celebrities aged 40 or older, yet in the accompanying articles, there was little or no discussion of the need for advanced interventions to achieve pregnancy, such as in vitro fertilization and the need for donor gametes.

"It's easy to get drawn in by the cover of a popular magazine featuring a happily pregnant celebrity in her late 30s or early 40s and to think that fertility is the norm at that stage in a woman's reproductive life. Often left unsaid though are the costly and extraordinary measures, assisted reproductive technologies, and risks associated with these later-in-life pregnancies," said Susan G. Kornstein, MD, Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Women's Health.