A woman has given birth to her first child at the age of 52 - and is already planning her second.
Luise Hoehn from Lowell, Massachusetts, US, welcomed her son Stellan on Christmas Day after trying for a baby for six years using IVF therapies and donor eggs.
Luise and husband Dean Biele, 47, went through six gruelling rounds of failed IVF and spent $75,000 (£62,000) on donor eggs and rounds using her own eggs - costing more than $115,000 (£95,000).
Luise, who will be 53 in May, met Dean in 2007 when Luise was 37, but didn't start fertility treatment until nine years later.
However at 46, Luise was already over the cut-off age for many clinics.
But when the couple did find a specialist, they discovered their insurance would not cover most of the treatment cost because of Luise's age.
The new mum said: "Before meeting Dean, I'd never met someone I wanted a family with.
"I had a fulfilling job as a nanny, helping to raise other people's children and simply thought I would meet the right person and one day have my own."
The couple bought a house in 2012 and although they were trying to conceive naturally once they lived together, Luise admits she was naive to not be concerned about a decline in her fertility as she entered her 40s.
She said: "When I was 42 my doctor asked if I wanted to talk to an IVF specialist.
"It had never occurred to me to freeze my eggs and I believed it would happen naturally, so I said no."
But at 46, when her periods stopped for two months and a doctor told her she was menopausal, she decided to take action.
She said: "Thankfully it wasn't the start of menopause, but the scare made me stop waiting for something to happen naturally."
The couple had their first IVF consultation in January 2016 and the recommendation was donor eggs.
Louise said: "I was very disappointed.
"The doctor said I would have more success with donor eggs because I was past the ideal age for trying with my own eggs, but I decided to try with them anyway.
After the couple married in February 2017, Luise underwent her first IVF cycle in March 2017.
When it failed, the couple worked with a local doctor for two more cycles before moving to a clinic, five hours away in Manhattan for another three cycles.
Luise said: "My husband's insurance paid for the first round and half the second round.
"After that, we are fortunate that Dean has a job that afforded us the opportunity to keep trying more IVF cycles and we had to keep trying because it was what we both wanted."
But the couple faced more heartache with every failed round and four failed retrievals between March 2017 and June 2018.
By 2019, the couple agreed to search for a donor egg.
Luise explains: "My last IVF attempt with my eggs was in 2018, but we didn't confirm our donor until 2021.
"I found our donor in 2019, but my husband wasn't convinced that I had searched enough.
"He asked me to keep searching other agencies."
Luise added: "I am over the moon with the donor, she matches me perfectly.
"Ethnically, she could be my sibling, but also her personality and characteristics meant she was an ideal match for what I was looking for as my stand-in for my genetic half.
"It was important I found someone who represented me and I went through several agencies."
In May 2022, the couple transferred their first embryo and 8 days later, Luise had a positive pregnancy test.
Thrilled but wary, they decided to only tell immediate friends and family she was expecting.
The couple has one living parent, Dean's mum aged 82. Both Dean and Luise have several siblings, and all have been incredibly supportive.
She said: "I didn't make a big announcement on social media because I was unsure how I would handle the pregnancy and I didn't want to attract lots of questions."
Luise believes she will be a wiser mother now than she would have been at a younger age.
She said: "Some of my friends are grandparents. We are just starting, but there's something to be said for life experience. I am confident in what I can do and our choices in how we will raise a child."
Their son was born healthy at 35 weeks, weighing 4lb 15oz on December 25, and settling into life with a newborn, Luise said: "He's so calm and peaceful and we are slowly finding our feet as a family of three."
Luise said the couple hoped to try for a second baby before the end of the year.
She said: "I would like another transfer before the year is over, but I want to adapt to life with Stellan first and my body to recover.
"Once our family is complete, we expect to donate any remaining eggs.
"I was given the option to transfer more than one egg, but I was aware of the added complications with multiples, as well as my age, so I avoided unnecessary complications."
Despite being pregnant at 52, Luise said she had an easy pregnancy with few symptoms, but confesses to being 'exceptionally sleepy' for eight months.
Stellan was born via C-section and Luise said her body recovered incredibly quickly.
She added: "I've always been a big believer in health and wellness therapies and believe these helped me stay tuned and able."
Luise is also pleased she has been able to breastfeed.
She explained: " I was worried my age may affect my milk supply, but the hospital was fantastic and encouraged me with a breast pump and we used donor breast milk too initially. "
Looking back, Luise does have some regrets about not freezing her eggs earlier and hopes by speaking out she can inspire older women to not give up.
Luise posted her baby news in an older mum's support group and said: " I hope seeing successes inspire others not to give up because I was motivated by stories of other older mums.
"It helped me to realise I'm not too old to carry and safely deliver a healthy baby and when you're trying for so long you need to hear that it does happen successfully for older women.
"We paid more for IVF than we did for our house, but becoming parents is priceless.
"Our baby arrived on Christmas Day and he is the best present we could have ever wished for.
"He is an absolute joy for us.
"Of course, the night feeds are challenging as they are for any new parent, at any age.
"I may not have the stamina I once had, but I do have the motivation and a wealth of knowledge and experience.
"He is the love of our lives and he is the best decision we have ever made.
"I look forward to trying another transfer, so that we may have a sibling for Stellan."
