Celebs open up about their fertility struggles

On May 2, comedic actress Rebel Wilson took a more serious turn on Instagram to share a candid update on her fertility struggles. "I got some bad news today and didn't have anyone to share it with...but I guess I gotta tell someone," she explained. "To all the women out there struggling with fertility, I feel ya. The universe works in mysterious ways and sometimes it all doesn't make sense...but I hope there's light about to shine through all the dark clouds." In December 2020, the actress, now 41 years old, had shared that she made the decision to freeze her eggs. Though it's uncertain what the bad news was exactly, the comment section was filled with support from other celebrities and fans saying they've been through the same struggles and telling Wilson not to give up.

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Khloé Kardashian -

During her appearance on 'The Ellen Show's' segment called "Lady Parts," the reality TV star shared that in an effort for a second child, she's done IVF about three times and froze her eggs once. She wanted to make embryos with Thompson, so she defrosted all of her eggs to mix with sperm, but sadly none survived so she had to do IVF again. "We realized that my eggs aren't strong enough to be frozen. They should be mixed immediately with sperm to make embryos. So I actually have made embryos," she said.

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Halsey - The singer shared photos of her new baby bump, highlighting her scars from multiple surgeries to treat endometriosis. Halsey has been open about freezing her eggs at age 23 due to her endometriosis, and also about a miscarriage she suffered in 2016.

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Mandy Moore -

The actress told Romper that she had been trying to conceive for years and was ready to go into surgery to fix her uterus. Luckily, just before the surgery, Moore started ovulating again, but she was told pregnancy was still unlikely. Now, she has welcomed her first child.

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Paris Hilton -

On 'The Trend Reporter with Mara' podcast, the heiress revealed she has started in vitro fertilization (IVF) with boyfriend Carter Reum. Hilton said she looked into IVF because it was "the only way" she could ensure that she can have "twins that are a boy and a girl."

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Chrissy Teigen -

Model Chrissy Teigen and her husband John Legend had real problems before they had daughter Luna and son Miles through IVF treatments.

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Chrissy Teigen -

In 2015 she opened up about how upsetting the experience had been and how she and John would have had children five or six years prior if it had happened for them.

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Gabrielle Union -

Actress Gabrielle Union wrote in her 2017 book that she had had eight or nine miscarriages, and in August 2018 she announced she had been diagnosed with adenomyosis.

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Gabrielle Union -

Union, who didn't want children until she became a stepmom, told People that, for her, the hardest thing is all the questions that people feel they have to ask.

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Kim Kardashian West -

Kim Kardashian West, who is now a mother of four, revealed in 2015 that she started to have issues after her first child, North West, was born in 2013.

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Kim Kardashian -

The model and businesswoman spoke about having a condition called placenta accreta, for which she had to undergo surgery to correct. At one point she had to visit the doctor everyday at 5 am.

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Nicole Kidman -

Actress Nicole Kidman has struggled with infertility for many years. When she was married to Tom Cruise the pair decided to adopt kids Isabella and Connor.

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Nicole Kidman -

With husband Keith Urban, she gave birth naturally to daughter Sunday Rose, but after that she struggled again and the couple decided to use a surrogate for their second daughter, Faith.

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Emma Thompson -

Following a miscarriage, actress Emma Thompson gave birth to her first child, Gaia, at age 40 via IVF. She was unable to conceive again after this, which apparently sent her into a clinical depression.

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Emma Thompson -

In 2003, Thompson and her husband informally adopted a former Rwandan child soldier, and in 2010 she spoke about how there may not have been space for him if she'd had another child.

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Mariah Carey -

In 2011, singer Mariah Carey told Barbara Walters that after suffering a miscarriage in 2008 she used fertility treatments and acupuncture to become pregnant with twins.

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Mariah Carey -

For Carey, who is now the proud mother of twins Moroccan and Monroe, the most difficult thing was having to go on progesterone every month.

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Sarah Jessica Parker -

The 'Sex and the City' frontwoman Sarah Jessica Parker has three children: James, who was born in 2002, and twins, Marion and Tabitha, who were born via surrogacy in 2009.

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Sarah Jessica Parker -

In 2010, SJP told Vogue that having a child via surrogacy was "so different, and equally extraordinary."

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Courteney Cox -

In 2003, 'Friends' actress Courteney Cox told People that she and her husband David Arquette had had quite a few miscarriages before conceiving their daughter via IVF.

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Courteney Cox -

Apparently the couple would "bounce back pretty quickly" after each miscarriage, but also found that the first round of IVF was "nerve-wracking."

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Michelle Obama -

Both the Obamas' daughters, Malia and Sasha, were born via IVF. In a 2018 special with 'Good Morning America' Michelle talked about how she decided that was the best way forward since she was in her 30s.

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Michelle Obama -

The former First Lady spoke about how after a miscarriage she felt like she'd failed and how important it is to talk about the experience, especially since it's so common.

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Tyra Banks -

In 2015, Tyra Banks told fellow model Chrissy Teigen that she put off having children for years, only to find that when she started trying it wasn't as easy as she'd expected.

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Tyra Banks -

She told People that before she had her son, York, via gestational surrogate in 2016, she had had some attempts at IVF, some of which were "traumatic."

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Christie Brinkley -

In 1998, supermodel and actress Christie Brinkley spoke in interview about the miscarriages she had suffered. She told 'Good Housekeeping' how the second one was especially difficult.

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Christie Brinkley -

Brinkley described how her second miscarriage was "really devastating" and how the experience made her and then-husband Peter Cook opt for IVF the next time.

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Sharon Osbourne -

In her autobiography 'Extreme, Survivor' Sharon Osborne revealed that she and husband Ozzy Osbourne tried for a fourth child after their son Jack was born, but sadly they had no luck.

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Sharon Osbourne -

It was complications from a stomach infection that made Osbourne unable to carry a fourth child, and although the couple tried IVF they found it so traumatic they stopped after one round.

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Nancy Juvonen -

Film producer Nancy Juvonen and her husband Jimmy Fallon are now proud parents to Winne Rose and Frances Cole, but before that they went through a five-year period of trying.

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Nancy Juvonen -

The power couple opened up about their experience during an interview and Juvonen emphasised that people struggling should never give up since parenting is so rewarding.

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Lena Dunham -

In an essay for the March 2018 edition of Vogue, actress and comedian Lena Dunham revealed that she had had a hysterectomy after years of dealing with endometriosis.

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Lena Dunham -

She described how she had always wanted to become pregnant and felt she was right for the job, but also how after the hysterectomy she felt free to explore other options.

Sources: (People)(Marie Claire) (Romper)

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Celebs open up about their fertility struggles

Heidi Montag and Brittany Daniel get real about their fertility journeys

06/01/22 | StarsInsider

CELEBRITY Women

Women who are brave enough to talk about their experience of miscarriage and other fertility problems often mention feelings of inadequacy and of being alone in the struggle. But the reality is that struggling to have children is much more common than we think.

Two famous women have bravely shared details of their fertility journeys recently. One of them is Heidi Montag, best known for her appearance on the reality show 'The Hills.' Montag already has one son with her husband Spencer Pratt and the couple are trying for a second baby. The 35-year-old has been open about their difficulties, having failed to conceive after trying for more than a year. Back in April of 2021 Montag underwent surgery to have polyps removed from her uterus in the hopes it would improve their chances. In a recent Instagram post, she shared a photo of herself and her son with the caption "So thankful for my angel I never thought it would be so hard trying to have another. I am trusting God’s plan and if we only have one I am so thankful for this miracle!”

Another celeb opening up about her struggles with fertility is Brittany Daniel. The actress is known for starring in the '90s tv show 'Sweet Valley High' alongside her twin sister, Cynthia Daniel. Brittany underwent a difficult battle with stage IV non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and was told she may never be able to have children on her own. This is when her sister Cynthia stepped in and offered to donate her eggs to her sister. "I saw it as such a simple gift I could give to her," Cynthia said. "I know Brittany would do it in a split second for me. And we've always shared everything, so why not this?" Brittany and her husband gave birth to their daughter Hope in October of 2021.

Check out this gallery to see what other celebs have to say about their fertility experiences.