Having kids isn’t always easy – just ask these star mums who have opened up about their fertility journeys and experiences with in vitro fertilisation (IVF).
From international powerhouses like Kim Kardashian, who used IVF to conceive her second child with Kanye West, to local stars like Nicole Kidman, IVF is not uncommon among celebrity families.
In fact, it’s probably more accessible to the rich and powerful given how expensive multiple rounds of IVF can be, but for many mums the hefty price tag is worth it.
“It’s a beautiful thing that we’d love to have happen, but the journey is a bit hard for any woman who went on it,” Kourtney Kardashian recently told Entertainment Tonight of undergoing IVF.
We’ve collected some of the most powerful comments these star women have made about their IVF journeys below.
Kourtney Kardashian
Having just married Travis Barker, Kourtney is keen to have more children with him but confessed on The Kardashians that her IVF journey “hasn’t been the most amazing experience.”
“Every single person on social media is always like, ‘Kourtney’s pregnant, Kourtney’s pregnant, Kourtney’s gained so much weight.’ … It’s so rude to comment on people when you have no idea what they’re actually going through,” she said.
“The medication that they’ve been giving me, they put me into menopause … The medication basically put me into depression.”
Kim Kardashian
After conceiving her first child naturally, Kim turned to IVF to welcome her second, telling Elle UK: “I loved being part of a huge family – and I want that for North. We’d do IVF if nothing happens, but we both want to keep trying naturally.”
When she was unable to fall pregnant, she sought IVF but confessed it had a major effect on her body and she had a difficult pregnancy with son Saint.
She later hired a surrogate to welcome her third and fourth children, Chicago and Psalm, confessing on KUWTK: “Even though I will appreciate not having to gain the weight and then lose the weight … I so would have rather have done it on my own.”
Khloe Kardashian
The reality TV star first tried IVF in the early 2010s while married to Lamar Odom, after revealing on KUWTK that her body doesn’t ovulate and her uterine lining can’t support a pregnancy.
In 2016 she confessed on her TV show that it didn’t work, but that was for the best: “At the time, I was like ‘Ugh! Gotta have a baby’ … I thought maybe it would fix the situation. So I’m also happy that it didn’t happen. I was young, I was 27, and I thought, ‘Oh my god, a baby will fix this!'”
She went on to welcome daughter True with boyfriend Tristan Thompson in 2018 and hopes to have a second child with eggs she froze, but sadly none were viable when they were unfrozen in 2021.
Nicole Kidman
She shares daughters Sunday and Faith with Keith Urban, but the couple used IVF and a surrogate to carry Faith after struggling to conceive.
“Anyone that’s been in the place of wanting another child or wanting a child knows the disappointment, the pain and the loss that you go through trying and struggling with fertility,” Nicole told 60 Minutes.
“Fertility is such a big thing, and it’s not something I’ve ever run away from talking about.”
Hugh Jackman and Deborra-Lee Furness
Though the couple eventually adopted two children, Hugh opened up about his and Deborra’s experience with IVF in 2012 on Katie Couric’s US talk show.
“We did IVF and Deb had a couple of miscarriages. I’ll never forget it, the miscarriage thing … It happens to one in three pregnancies,” he said.
“But it’s very, very rarely talked about. It’s almost secretive, so I hope Deb doesn’t mind me bringing it up now.”
Chrissy Teigen
After trying to fall pregnant with husband John Legend for years, the couple turned to IVF to welcome daughter Luna and son Miles, sharing the process to normalize IVF.
“There are so many different factors that go into being able to conceive a baby. The [IVF] process really makes you appreciate that,” she said in a 2018 interview with The Cut.
“But it’s also easy to grow resentful of how easy it is for some people, when you’re literally mixing your own powders and chemicals to inject into your belly, shoving progesterone up there.”
Chrissy added that it’s easy to think IVF will work on the first try but that’s rarely the case and it can be hard for mothers not to blame themselves.
Jesinta Franklin
Jesinta went through several rounds of IVF before falling pregnant with her two kids with Lance ‘Buddy’ Franklin, Tullulah and Rocky.
“I had struggled to fall pregnant and there had been losses along the way, as a woman who had been through that I felt like I was doing so many couples a disservice to come out and say, ‘Surprise we are pregnant’,” she told the Herald Sun.
“I know that would make me feel even worse about our pregnancy journey. I wanted other women to find comfort in the fact that this was not a surprise. It really was an effort and took us a long time.”
Sonia Kruger
“When I went into that first round of IVF (around 45) I learned that my chances of success [conceiving naturally] were zero. The doctor telling me that was quite confronting,” she told the Herald Sun of conceiving daughter Maggie through IVF.
“I was surprised by that information because like a lot of women I’d seen high-profile women fall pregnant in their late 40s and thought, ‘Well, it’s possible’.
“But I didn’t know the details until the doctors said, ‘Make no mistake; these women will have used egg donors.’”
Amy Schumer
After welcoming son Gene in 2019, the actress began her IVF journey to give him a sibling but was left feeling “really run down and emotional” just one week into treatment.
“I did IVF, we made embryos and I went through the IVF process, which is so hard. People do it so many times. I did it one time and I was like, I’m gonna die. This is awful,” she later told Chelsea Handler on her podcast.
“We only got one normal embryo and we tried and it didn’t work … and now I don’t have a uterus… So we’re gonna have just one child and we’re just enjoying our little family and I’m just focusing on that.”
Jess Rowe
Recalling her fertility journey in her memoir Is This My Beautiful Life?, the now mum-of-two said she often struggled with comparisons and other people’s comments.
“I wanted to scream, ‘I’m on IVF and I don’t know if I can be a mum… Don’t tell me how wonderful it is to be a mother! And don’t you dare complain about how tired you are’,” she penned.
“As I listened to them I made a promise never to bore people with endless stories of my children. I would never whinge, complain or find it difficult once I had my precious child. I would know how hard fought it had been.”
Jackie Gillies
The Real Housewives of Melbourne star had almost given up on becoming a mum when she finally fell pregnant in 2021 after multiple rounds of IVF.
“I’ve gone through over seven rounds of IVF, egg retrieval and transfers,” she told The Herald Sun before welcoming her twins.
“A lot of ups and downs and it’s been emotionally challenging but to get to where we’ve got to has been so rewarding. You’ve got to keep pushing forward and having faith.”
Moana Hope
Wife Isabella carried and delivered daughter Svea in 2020 after two failed rounds of IVF, so in 2021 Moana decided to experience pregnancy for herself.
“From what I’m told, pregnancy is like a roller coaster of an experience,” Moana told Now To Love before announcing she was expecting.
“I’m trying to carry the second one, which is going to be exciting! I know at the same time, watching Belle go through it was one experience, but doing it yourself is completely different.”
Fiona Falkiner
Fiona and wife Hayley Willis welcomed son Hunter in 2021 after multiple gruelling rounds of IVF, with Fiona calling the daily injections and regular tests a real “mental battle”.
“IVF can be quite a sad process… it really is a difficult thing,” Fiona told Woman’s Day in 2022, while Hayley was pregnant with their second child.
“I’m so lucky to have Hayley as a partner and that on my second full round of IVF we had Hunter… he was a little miracle.”
Fifi Box
After welcoming daughter Trixie with ex-partner Grant Kenny, Fifi opted for IVF and a sperm donor to conceive her second child, Daisy.
But it wasn’t easy, as Fifi learned when her doctor showed her a confronting chart of the likelihood of a woman falling pregnant over 40.
“I had just turned 40 and saw the graph and just panicked. This is a real problem for me so we got the eggs out. I did two egg retrievals and I was so lucky, I got 30 eggs and then we froze the eggs,” she said on Byron Cooke’s podcast.
“Then I went through the 12 month period getting a donor and working out that path I was going to go on. I ended up with three embryos… because of my age I was so lucky to have three embryos and on my first transferal I got Daisy. I still pinch myself with how lucky I am.”
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