After Welcoming a Baby at 55, Brigitte Nielsen Warns Women That Waiting Can Be 'Very Expensive' (Exclusive)
The mom of five welcomed daughter Frida at 55, after 13 years of trying through IVF. Now she shares advice for other women hoping to become older moms
Brigitte Nielsen is somewhat of an expert when it comes to geriatric pregnancy — which is any pregnancy over the age of 35.
The actress, 60, got pregnant with her daughter Frida, 5, when she was 54, after doing in vitro fertilization (IVF) for 13 years.
"When it happened, it was just amazing," she tells PEOPLE of finally conceiving her daughter after already raising four boys, ages 28-38. "And then it was just fear because I was such high risk. But it turned out to be the easiest pregnancy I'd ever had."
Still, Nielsen warns that going through what she went through might not be the right fit for everybody.
"It's a very personal thing," she says of trying for children later in life. "Being on hormones, and all the testing, I don't think it's for everybody," she admits. "And it can be very expensive. But if you have hope and you have that dream, I think you should go for it. You should just get as informed as you can, talk to people who have been down this road who can really help you and guide you."
Nielsen says that when she and her husband Mattia Dessi, 45, first started trying for a child when she was in her early 40s, her doctor warned her she had a one to two percent chance of conceiving.
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Related: Who Is Brigitte Nielsen's Husband? All About Mattia Dessi
"If it's a dream of yours, you must be free to dream. But dream responsibly. My doctor told me that it most likely wouldn't happen."
Nielsen also has advice for women who are thinking of becoming pregnant without a partner. "What I say to women in general, even if you're single and you want a baby, is go for it. Because in the end, honestly, and this is no offense to my husband who is a great dad, but women really stand for most of the child-rearing responsibility."
However, Nielsen also has advice for women who want to be young moms.
"My advice there is, if you can wait, don't have a child when you're in your early twenties because it's too young," she says. "Travel, enjoy work. Put money aside, and get to know yourself better. Because a child, it's a lifetime responsibility, and it does change your freedom."
She adds that she doesn't mind losing her freedom at all when it comes to parenting Frida.
"It was such a desire to have her. I just feel so blessed."
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