CONFIRMED: Janet Jackson is expecting her first child

New York - Pop superstar Janet Jackson is expecting her first child at age 49, reports said on Wednesday.

The younger sister of Michael Jackson stunned fans last month by halting a global tour and saying that she and her husband Wissam Al Mana were "planning our family."

Jackson, who turns 50 on 16 May, did not offer further details at the time. But the celebrity news sites ET and E! News both said that she was pregnant.

E! News, quoting an unnamed source, reported that she was in her second trimester and had been seeing a fertility specialist for some time.

Natural pregnancies are less common for women when they enter their late 40s, but in vitro fertilisations can extend the age range.

A representative for Jackson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.