10 Celebrities Who Were Open About Infertility and Their Pregnancy Journey

Official numbers show that about 9% of men and 11% of women have fertility issues. In fact, it was revealed that after 1 year of trying to conceive, 12%-15% of couples are unable to do so. That’s why they have to turn to other methods for welcoming a baby. Whatever road they choose, it is definitely a hard one that has many ups and downs.

1. Jessie J

The singer had a dream from when she was a child that she would be a mother by the age of 30. However, she was told that it would be almost impossible for her to become a mother through pregnancy. After suffering a miscarriage back in November 2021, in early 2023, she announced to the world that she was once again pregnant.

“I can’t help but think about all the women and men still struggling with loss and infertility. It feels so strange to be on this side after being told I would never get pregnant, to pregnancy loss to then being pregnant and how quickly it is all happening. I don’t take a second of this for granted and continue to pray for a safe landing of this magical baby every day.”

2. Maria Menounos

In early February 2023, the TV personality announced that she and her husband are finally expecting their first child. “Just after a decade of trying everything, we are so grateful to the beautiful family helping us conceive our baby.” In 2021, she shared that they tried conceiving through a surrogate, but it was not possible to do so. “You start to think, ’Am I too old? Am I too tired? Is this a sign? Is it a message that we’re not supposed to have kids?’”

In 2016, Menounos began IVF treatments, but she was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor, and they had to put the treatments on hold. Her longtime partner said back in 2018 that “I’m very concerned about her going through a pregnancy, and I would like to explore (using a) surrogate because her body has been through hell. I want a baby desperately, but I don’t want it to be at the risk of her health.”

3. Gabrielle Union

The actress and ex-basketball player Dwyane Wade had been trying to conceive a baby for many years. “I have had 8 or 9 miscarriages. For 3 years, my body has been a prisoner of trying to get pregnant. I’ve either been about to go into an IVF cycle, in the middle of an IVF cycle, or coming out of an IVF cycle.” In 2018, she was diagnosed with adenomyosis, which was probably the reason she couldn’t get pregnant.

Luckily, in November 2018, the couple welcomed their first child together through surrogate. “For so many women, and not just women in the spotlight, people feel very entitled to know, ’Do you want kids?’ A lot of people just say ’no’ because that’s a lot easier than being honest about whatever is actually going on.”

4. Emma Thompson

The great actress had a miscarriage back in 1997, but managed to give birth to her only child 2 years later, in 1999. She wanted to have another child and made tremendous efforts with her husband. However, she couldn’t conceive, and this was something that sent her into clinical depression. “It’s only now that I no longer count other people’s children or judge myself harshly for not providing my daughter with a sibling.”

She wanted to be a mother for a second time so much that she and her husband adopted a child. “I couldn’t have more children, and that was hard, but perhaps if I had, I’d have missed out on this extra act of mothering that I’ve had with Tindy. Because there was space in my life for him, and I don’t think there would have been space if I’d had another young child around.”

5. Courteney Cox

The lovable Friends star kept things honest when she revealed how hard it was for her to conceive her baby. “I had a lot of miscarriages, and I don’t think that’s something that people shouldn’t talk about because it was unfortunate, but it happens. I didn’t want to give up.” And she managed to give birth to her daughter Coco in 2004 alongside then-husband David Arquette.

“I just think it’s important to get things out there, so people can realize they’re not alone.”

6. Angela Bassett

Bassett and her husband Courtney B. Vance were trying constantly to conceive, but it seemed that nothing was working. At one point, a friend’s couple who also had the same infertility struggles said that they were expecting a child through a surrogate. This made them think that it was the right choice for them, and as it turns out, it was — since they had twins through surrogacy in 2006.

He said in an interview, “I had a dream about 7 years ago that we were going to have twins. I didn’t know how it was going to happen.” Bassett mentioned that “Just standing there together, holding each other with the realization that this is the moment that we’ve been working toward, was a dream come true.”

7. Amy Schumer

The comedian’s road to motherhood was also very rocky after starting IVF treatments. As she explained, “They retrieved 35 eggs from me. Not bad for the old gal, right? Then 26 fertilized! Whoa, right? For all those, we got 1 normal embryo from that and 2 low-level mosaics (mosaic means there are some abnormal cells but can still lead to a healthy baby). So we feel lucky we got 1.”

Even though the odds were against her and her husband, she actually gave birth to their first child. “I have so appreciated everyone sharing their IVF stories with me. They made me feel empowered and supported.”

8. Paris Hilton

Hilton has been very vocal about her dream of becoming a mother, and she started her IVF treatments with her husband back in 2020. At this point, they have stored many eggs and were ready to start the fertilization process. “We knew we wanted to start a family, and I was like, ’This is perfect timing. Usually, I’m on a plane 250 days out of the year, and let’s just get all of the eggs stocked and ready,’ and we have tons of them just waiting.”

In January 2023, they welcomed their first child and expressed how excited they felt about the future. “We are so excited to start our family together and our hearts are exploding with love for our baby boy.”

9. Halsey

In 2015, a year before the singer’s career took off, she suffered a miscarriage right before going on stage to perform. “It’s the angriest performance that I’ve ever done in my life. That was the moment of my life where I thought to myself, ’I don’t feel like anyone anymore.’” She suffered from endometriosis, for which she had to undergo scary surgeries.

Despite all the struggles, in 2021, she announced to the world that she was expecting a child with her partner. “I beat myself up over the miscarriage, and I wanted to be a mom more than I want to be a pop star, more than I wanted to be anything in the world.”

10. Rebel Wilson

The comedic actress suffered from polycystic ovarian syndrome, which already makes it harder for a woman to get pregnant. She was also told that her chances of freezing her eggs would be much better if she could lose some weight. After a rollercoaster of emotions, in November 2022, she welcomed her first child through a surrogate.

“You hold the baby and cut the umbilical cord, and literally from that moment on, you’re just like — it was just, like, amazing and so emotional. It’s really challenging, though. I have this big international career, and you know, I’m, like, the breadwinner of my family.”