Halle Berry has set herself a deadline to get pregnant by the end of the year.

The actress, who is dating 31-year-old model Gabriel Aubry, is aware her biological clock is ticking and is determined to conceive in 2007.

Halle, 40, said: “Having children is my next big project. I’m planning on becoming pregnant by the end of the year – it’s my age, it’s only natural.”

The Oscar-winning star said she and Gabriel are prepared to adopt if their baby-making attempts don’t work.

Halle has made no secret of her desire to have a baby in the past, and had vowed to get pregnant before she turned 40 last August.

She told US chat show host Oprah Winfrey: “If there’s no serious man in my life when I get to that age, whoever I’m dating at the time, I’ll say, ‘Hey, would you like to have a baby?’ “

Halle even contemplated artificial insemination before she started dating Gabriel.