Kourtney Kardashian is speaking truth to something many women in their 40s have experienced firsthand: feeling pressured to conceive ASAP because of their age.
In a recent interview on Dear Media’s Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast, the Kardashians star got candid about “feeling pushed into doing IVF” with her husband, Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker. The happy couple tied the knot back in May. They have been extremely open about wanting children together — and embarking on a tumultuous IVF journey to make that happen.
Since she is 43, Kardashian said she and Barker felt immense pressure to do IVF before it was too late. “If you even look anything up online about things you can do to help get pregnant … it says on there, like, ‘If you’re over 40’ — or it might even say something younger — it says, ‘Go right away,’” she told podcast host Amanda Hirsch. “So I felt a little bit pushed.”
According to data from the Society of Assisted Reproductive Technology (SART), IVF success rates do vary widely by age. For example, patients ages 41–42 gave birth to a single child using their own eggs 12.7 percent of the time. At 42 years or older, that success rate dips to 4.1 percent. So it’s easy to understand why the Keeping Up With the Kardashians alum felt like time was running out.
Kardashian is already a mother of three with her ex-boyfriend Scott Disick. Barker, 46, has two children of his own with his ex-wife, Shanna Moakler. He is also close with his former stepdaughter. “There are so many emotions involved with so many kids,” Kardashian added.
The reality TV star also told Hirsch that she and Barker recently completed a round of IVF. Now, they’re hoping “God blesses [them] with a baby.”
The Kardashian-Barkers aren’t alone. Another SART report found that more than 1 million babies were born using IVF technology between 1987 and 2015, and that’s just in the United States. A woman’s so-called “biological clock” can be a real concern for many people and couples who want to conceive. However, it is equally important to note that there is no right or wrong time — or way — to have a baby.
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