In a recent interview with Allure, Jennifer Aniston, 53, talked about her IVF journey—a difficult chapter in her life that she has kept private until now. “I’ve spent so many years protecting my story about IVF,” Aniston said. “I’m so protective of these parts because I feel like there’s so little that I get to keep to myself. The [world] creates narratives that aren’t true, so I might as well tell the truth. I feel like I’m coming out of hibernation. I don’t have anything to hide.” Aniston’s words got the conversation around IVF and fertility treatments going—because Aniston is far from alone. Here are 11 other celebrities who have gone through IVF.
Celebrities Who Did IVF
Chrissy Teigen
The 36-year-old model and author tried to get pregnant for years, ultimately turning to IVF. After a few rounds of treatment, Teigan and her husband John Legend welcomed a daughter, Luna, and two years later, a son, Miles. She has been very public about her journey with the hope to help other women going through similar struggles.
Brooke Shields
After enduring a miscarriage and several failed rounds of IVF, Brooke Shields decided to try one last round of IVF at age 36. This resulted in the birth of her daughter, Rowan, in 2003. Three years later, Shields got pregnant naturally and had another daughter, Grier.
Michelle Obama
The former First Lady struggled to get pregnant and had a miscarriage before making the decision to try IVF at 35. The treatments were a success and she and her husband Barack welcomed daughter Malia in 1998 and Sasha in 2001. In her book, Becoming, she goes into detail about her difficult journey to motherhood.
Gabrielle Union
In her book We’re Going to Need More Wine, Gabrielle Union shared that she had numerous miscarriages and years of unsuccessful IVF treatments before making the decision to try surrogacy. Using a gestational surrogate, Union and her husband Dwyane Wade welcomed daughter Kaavia James in 2018.
Celine Dion
The singer was able to get pregnant on her first attempt with IVF, leading to the birth of her son René-Charles in 2001. Dion and her husband, René Angélil, made the decision to try again, but had to go through six rounds before welcoming twin sons, Eddy and Nelson.
Amy Schumer
After having her son Gene in May 2019, the comedian made the decision to try IVF to have another baby. In a post on Instagram showing her bruised stomach from the injections, she opened up about the process. “I’m a week into IVF and feeling really run down and emotional,” she said. Ultimately, she decided to stop trying IVF and had her uterus removed. Schumer is freezing her eggs with the hope of someday giving Gene a sibling.
Emma Thompson
At age 40, the Oscar-winning actress and her husband Greg Wise welcomed their first daughter Gaia as a result of IVF treatment. However, they were unsuccessful in conceiving a second child. They decided to adopt and now have a son, Tindyebwa (Tindy) Agaba Wise.
Courtney Cox
Cox suffered numerous miscarriages and went through two cycles of IVF before giving birth to her daughter, Coco. While she had no trouble getting pregnant, she would lose each baby to miscarriage. Doctors found that she has a rare MTHFR gene mutation, which resulted in her body fighting each fetus, which made it challenging to carry a baby.
Tyra Banks
When the model turned 40, Banks decided she wanted to have a child. After years of trying with failed IVF attempts, she welcomed her son, York, in 2016 through surrogacy. Banks shared her infertility struggles on her talk show FABlife during a conversation with Chrissy Teigen, who was experiencing similar hardships at the time.
Jaime King
The actress and former model had a difficult time conceiving due to endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). She had several miscarriages, an ectopic pregnancy, and went through numerous rounds of IVF and intrauterine insemination (IUI). Ultimately, she got pregnant naturally with her then-husband Kyle Newman after seven years of trying. She has two sons, James and Leo.
Lena Dunham
Unfortunately, after undergoing IVF, the actress learned she didn’t have any viable eggs from the retrieval. She opened up about how the process took a toll mentally and physically, and even more frustrating to go through such an ordeal only to receive that devastating news about her eggs. Next up: Considering IVF? Here’s Everything You Need to Know About How Much It Actually Costs—and How to Make It More Affordable
