Michelle Bridges, known for her role on The Biggest Loser, has been met with much criticism after suggesting her pregnancy at the age of 44 was made possible by a combination of exercise and healthy living.
Opening up about her wonderful news, Michelle paid tribute to the lifestyle she leads with partner Steve Willis, saying: "I feel very lucky. I also feel all of my years and all of Steve’s years of looking after ourselves and taking care of our health and our bodies, it just goes to show."
Adamant her lifestyle was a contributing factor, Michelle went on to say: "For someone my age for it to happen so quickly it’s obviously got to do with good health."
Her comments have been met with scorn by a number of the magazine's readers who subsequently took to the publication's Facebook page in order to air their disdain for the remarks made by the mum-to-be.
Drawing on her own experience, one Facebook user wrote: "I had my first child at 41 and there were plenty of pies and beers consumed prior to that. I might not have a six pack but was in a healthy weight range."
Urging Michelle to see her remarks from a reader's perspective, the mum finished by saying: "If she had just left that bit alone advocating how healthy she was I might have said good on you and your eggs."
Concerned Michelle's remarks may spark undue concern, another Who reader wrote: "Being fit and healthy is not the reason why you got pregnant so quickly. There are plenty of women who are fitter and younger than you and struggle for years to have a baby. "
Finishing her argument, she wrote: "And there are others who eat junk and don’t exercise and still get pregnant. Shows how ignorant you are."
Weighing in on the controversy, Loretta Houlahan, who lectures in Clinical Embryology at Monash University, asserts that lifestyle factors do play a role when conceiving, but they are not the only issues at work.
Elaborating on the topic, Loretta said: "The healthier you are, the more likely you are to conceive. However you can’t stop the ageing process. Although women over 40, even aged 44 like Michelle Bridges, can still conceive and fall pregnant, the chances are extremely low and there’s only so much you can do to offset that."
Loretta admits Michelle's comments may not have the desired effect, saying: "These comments do give women false hope, as there is only so much you can do and ultimately it can come down to luck."
