“My ex and I separated at 35, right around the age we started our family,” shares Pauline, 41, now mom to a 3-and-a-half-year-old boy. “I initially thought I might not have more children. But it was more nuanced in my mind. I knew about the biological clock, yet my family history gave me hope—my mother had a child at 45, and so did my sisters.”
Virginie, 40, who became a mom at 37 after planning for 30, adds: “I put some pressure on myself, but not too much. Today, it's easier to have kids later. We see examples like Monica Bellucci giving birth after 40, so the biological clock feels less urgent.”
Similarly, Élodie, 39, consulted her gynecologist at 38 about starting a family. Concerned about her age, she was reassured: “He said to stop worrying—he'd helped much older women deliver. It really eased my stress.”
