Natalie Portman pregnant, expecting baby no. 3 at 44
Natalie Portman is expecting a third child.
The Oscar-winning actress, 44, revealed the news in an exclusive interview with Harper's Bazaar published on Friday.
It's her first baby with her partner, French music producer Tanguy Destable.
"Tanguy and I are very excited," she said. "I'm just very grateful. I know it's such a privilege and a miracle."
Portman, who didn't share specific details about her pregnancy, acknowledged the challenges people may face with pregnancy and trying to conceive.
"I grew up hearing about how hard it is to get pregnant," she said. "I have so many people I love who've had such a hard time with it that I want to be respectful around that as well. It's such a beautiful, joyous thing, and it's also not an easy thing."
She continued, "And so I know how lucky it is. I'm very aware, and I'm very grateful. I have deep appreciation and gratitude."
Giving birth later in life is a growing reality in the United States.
According to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, from 1990 to 2023, birth rates have declined among women in their 20s and increased among women in older age groups.
Compared to birth rates in 1990, the birth rate increased 71% among women ages 35–39 (from 31.7 to 54.3), 127% (from 5.5 to 12.5) among women ages 40–44 and 450% (from 0.2 to 1.1) among women 45 and older in 2023.
Meanwhile, birth rates remain highest among women in their 20s but have declined 51% among women 20-24 years old (from 116.5 to 57.7) and 24% among women 25 to 29 years old (from 120.2 to 91.0) over that timeframe, CDC data shows.
At age 44, Portman is nearly a decade past the age -- 35 -- that doctors consider women to be of "advanced maternal age."
While many women over 35 years old have healthy babies and pregnancies, there are risks for the mother and baby that increase with maternal age, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
Portman shared that she has "more energy" than she expected, and said that she is swimming and doing gyrotonics to stay active.
Portman is also the mom to son Aleph, 14, and daughter Amalia, 9, whom she shares with ex-husband, Benjamin Millepied.
