After two years of fertility struggles and failed IVF attempts, Paris Hilton and her husband, Carter Reum (41), finally welcomed their baby boy, who was born via surrogate.
The socialite broke the news to the world in an Instagram post which showed a photo of her holding her son's tiny hand.
"You are already loved beyond words," Paris wrote, followed by a blue heart emoji.
Last year she revealed that after years of struggling to conceive, it was her pal Kim Kardashian who encouraged her to go the IVF route and introduced her to renowned Beverly Hill’s fertility expert Dr Andy Huang.
“I’m happy that she told me that advice and introduced me to her doctor," she said.
Given that Kim (42) and Kanye West (45) had three of their four children through surrogacy, Kim is all too familiar with the IVF process.
In a recent statement, Paris spoke about how excited she feels to be embarking on her motherhood journey. Her husband has a 10-year-old child from a previous relationship.
"We’re so excited to start our family together and our hearts are exploding with love for our baby boy,” she said.
She didn't divulge any details of the birth or the baby's name.
In a 2021 appearance on The Trend Reporter with Mara podcast, Paris revealed that she'd started her IVF process in mid-2020 before she tied the knot and that she and her husband were hoping for twins, a boy and a girl.
“The IVF process is tough, but I knew it would be worth it and I did it a couple of times,” she said.
The support she received from her partner was immense and made things easier for her, she added.
TIPS FROM THE DOCTOR WHO HELPED PARIS ACHIEVE HER MOTHERHOOD DREAM
Obstetrician and gynaecologist Dr Huang is board-certified and specialises in reproductive endocrinology and infertility. He's helped celebs such as Kim Kardashian, Chrissy Teigen and now Paris Hilton on their journey to motherhood and offers tips for other women trying to conceive.
Track your cycle
Huang stresses the importance of performing ovulation tests (you can buy home-test kits at pharmacies). This helps women see when they're most fertile.
"If a woman is tracking her period every 28 days and everything is in order, that's fantastic," he says. "However, if a woman isn't ovulating and gets her period every three months, she should see a fertility specialist right away because there is obviously a problem with her ovulation."
When to see a fertility specialist
Age can definitely be a factor if you're struggling to conceive. If you've been trying for over a year with no success, that's when you should book a check up, Huang says.
"Eighty-five percent of the time you should be pregnant within a year of trying."
He says the specialist will make a point of checking the couple's family history of fertility to pinpoint any genetic factors that may hamper conception.
There are four tests that will offer more insight. These include a semen analysis to check the male's fertility, and for the female an ultrasound may be performed in conjunction with a hormone test and finally, a hysterosalpingogram (HSG), which looks at "anatomical factors like a woman’s uterus and fallopian tubes".
The results of these tests determines what advice he gives his patients.
READ MORE | Adult nappies and lactation: Chrissy Teigen gets real after the birth of her fourth child
SOURCES: PEOPLE.COM, VOGUE.COM, DAILYMAIL.CO.UK, PERELELHEALTH.COM