Another Pregnancy Rumor: Why Can’t We Just Leave Jennifer Aniston Alone?

Another week, another Jennifer Aniston pregnancy rumor.

The latest? US Weekly declares the actress is pregnant (see above pic), and within hours her publicist denied the story, stating to the NY Post, "The whole story is a complete fabrication all the way from a supposed cancelled Smartwater shoot to Jennifer asking for a late check-out in Toronto and to her stylist having to rework her wardrobe. None of this ever happened and shame on Us magazine for once again getting it all wrong."

Suspicions about Jen's potential bump began in earnest when the actress wore a fitted plum Burberry dress to the We're the Millers New York premiere in August, showing what appeared to be a curvier than usual stomach. Then again, ever since she was married to Brad Pitt, the media have been speculating on whether or not she is with child.

Why are we SO obsessed about Jen and whether or not she has conceived?

Waaay back, in the throes of her marriage break-up in 2005, she gave an infamous interview to Vanity Fair magazine, where she said, "I've never in my life said I didn't want children. I did and I do and I will." Now imagine for a second you are Jen. Imagine you gave that interview in the midst of heartbreak, being positive about your future, finding your way after your marriage break-up that has been plastered across every paper to remind you every day how it went wrong. Imagine that quote following you around for the next 8 years. 8 YEARS!!! At every turn you are questioned about whether or not you want a family/are trying for a family/are pregnant. Imagine how draining that must be. How intrusive. How exhausting it must be to have your figure dissected in every photo for "evidence" of your supposed pregnancy.

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Now think about when you tried to conceive. Maybe you kept quiet about it as you didn't want to tempt fate. Maybe it took you years to get pregnant. Maybe every month you had to go to work and congratulate colleagues on their growing bumps, while you cried in the restrooms at work, knowing another month had passed and you had failed to get pregnant. Maybe you had to endure IVF, or had to give up on your dream of ever conceiving. Now imagine playing all that out in front of a baying media watching your EVERY move.

Trying for a baby can be the most stressful, upsetting, emotionally-challenging time for a woman - if she finds herself unable to conceive as quickly as she hoped. Why on earth would we want to make it any harder for any woman IF she is trying for a baby? I'm not suggesting that Jen is; all I'm asking is that we think about the negative effect that all this speculation could be having on another human being.

For the record, I think we all just want our favorite Friend to have a happy ending. (Maybe she has it already with her gorgeous man Justin?) We all just want the fairytale for one of the most likable women in showbiz. But wouldn't it be better if we just left her in peace?

So what does the actress herself make of it all? She said on a radio interview, "It does feel like they've exhausted the question, and also the speculation. It's all been pretty much exhausted." She went on to say, "Why not just wait until we actually get to have the fun of announcing something? Who wants to play the guessing game, whether it be [a] family wedding, this, that, the other thing?"

Getting pregnant and then the wait to pass the "safe" 13 weeks stage into your second trimester can be a nerve-wracking time. Personally, I didn't really tell anyone I was pregnant until I'd had my first 13 week scan, just to be sure that everything was progressing well. I cannot imagine what it would be like to try and go through that time with cameras in my face and photos of my tummy splashed across every magazine. It would make me never leave the house!

Can't we just give Jen a break, and leave her - pregnant or not, married or not - alone?

-By Suzanne Cowie

For 29 things you should NEVER say to a pregnant woman, visit Babble!

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