14 Stars Who Faced Infertility and Weren’t Afraid to Speak Publicly About Their Experience

About 15% of couples of reproductive age face infertility. Celebrities are part of this statistic, too. We decided to take a look at the stars who have spoken openly about their struggles with reproductive health. Some found help in modern medicine, some eventually gave up on parenthood, while others have opted for adoption.

Rebel Wilson

Rebel Wilson has shed 80 lbs of weight in order to improve her health and chances of conceiving. In one of her interviews, the actress revealed that she was suffering from polycystic ovary syndrome. The comedian was advised by her doctor to lose weight to improve her fertility; this way, she would be able to get healthy eggs for the IVF so a surrogate could carry a child to term for her.

The healthy lifestyle worked, and in November 2022 Rebel became a mum. The star announced the birth of her daughter, Royce, on her Instagram. In the post, Wilson not only shared her joy but also gave her heartfelt thanks to the surrogate mother: “Thank my gorgeous surrogate who carried her and birthed her with such grace and care. Thank you for helping me start my own family, it’s an amazing gift. The BEST gift!!”

Jennifer Aniston

Throughout her career, Aniston has had to deal with speculation about her pregnancy status. The media even spread rumors that the breakup with Brad Pitt was due to Jennifer not wanting to have children. In fact, the star dreamed of having a large family.

Only now that the actress is past the age of childbearing has she shared stories about her struggle with infertility: “I was trying to get pregnant. I was going through IVF, drinking Chinese teas, you name it. I was throwing everything at it. I would’ve given anything if someone had said to me, ‘Freeze your eggs. Do yourself a favour.’ You just don’t think it. So here I am today. The ship has sailed.”

Kourtney Kardashian

The reality star has experienced the joy of motherhood three times with Scott Disick. Now Courtney has a new love connection, drummer Travis Barker. The musician has two children from a previous marriage, but the couple has made no secret of the fact that they want to have a child together.

Multiple failed IVF attempts have taken a toll on Kardashian’s health, so the couple have now taken a break. After getting married, the couple underwent a detox to increase their chances of conceiving. “Everything is very ritualistic and has a purpose, and it’s fascinating. I was doing it mostly for cleansing my body in preparation to hopefully have a baby.”

Alicia Vikander

Alicia became a mum in 2021, but the actress admits that the baby didn’t come easily to her and husband Michael Fassbender. The couple, who met on the set of a film about spouses facing the loss of a child, suffered a miscarriage themselves: “For a while I didn’t think that I could get pregnant... It was so extreme, painful to go through and, of course, it made me recall making that The Light Between Oceans. That film has another meaning now.”

Brooke Shields

Brooke Shields suffered a miscarriage and a series of failed IVF attempts. Once the actress had lost all hope, a miracle happened. The star got pregnant with the help of IVF at the age of 36. Three years later, she gave birth to her second daughter; this time, she was able to conceive naturally. Shields would later talk about the grueling years of being diagnosed with infertility in her autobiography Down Came the Rain.

Teri Hatcher

Desperate Housewives star Teri Hatcher has a daughter from her marriage to Jon Tenney. After her divorce, the actress wanted to have another child. She found a donor, but, sadly, the pregnancy didn’t end well: “I tried to have a second child by myself and I went through that, got a donor. I actually had a miscarriage, unfortunately.”

Angela Bassett

Actors Angela Bassett and Courtney B. Vance went through seven years of failed fertility treatments and failed IVF attempts. Eventually, the couple sought the help of a surrogate. They first thought of the option when a family friend shared her own positive experience. And so, the twins Bronwyn Golden and Slater Josiah were born.

Halsey

Halsey’s path to motherhood was a long and arduous one. Back in 2015, the singer had a miscarriage right before going on stage. But the star still decided to perform. She has never hidden the fact that she is suffering from endometriosis. To make the cherished dream of having a child come true, Halsey underwent surgery several times.

The celebrity also considered freezing her eggs, but the surgeries allowed her to get pregnant and have a baby herself. “For a long time, I didn’t think that having a family was something I was going to be able to do, and it’s very, very important to me.”

Hasan Minhaj

Comedian Hasan Minhaj shared the story of his own infertility through his stand-up show. In his speech, Hasan confessed that he was the reason why he and his wife couldn’t get pregnant: “Life gets real when ’don’t want’ becomes ’can’t have.’ ” Hasan was advised by his doctor to undergo surgery to remove the varicocele. Just six weeks later, the couple were able to conceive a son.

Nia Vardalos

The My Big Fat Greek Wedding star struggled with infertility for nine years. “It was a sad process for me to become a mom, and a long process. I felt so embarrassed that I couldn’t have a biological child.” Eventually Nia decided to adopt a child from an orphanage. Vardalos’ daughter was 3 years old at the time of adoption and had never lived with a family. The star recalls the moment they met with awe: “The first thing I did was whisper in her ear, ’I will always take care of you.’ ”

Jools Oliver

Jamie and Jools Oliver have five children, but the couple are thinking of having another. The celebrity chef’s wife has suffered five miscarriages. During the second miscarriage, Jools lost a lot of blood and barely survived. The former model is now 48 and she’s not giving up on the idea of getting pregnant once again with the help of IVF, but she doesn’t want to make this decision on her own.

Beyoncé

Now married to Jay Z, Beyoncé is raising three children. Before having their eldest daughter, the couple suffered a series of miscarriages. “Having miscarriages taught me that I had to mother myself before I could be a mother to someone else.”

Five years after giving birth to Blue Ivy, the couple had twins. It came as a real surprise for them, as they’d been trying to conceive all along, but fertility issues kept them from getting pregnant. This time around, the 9 months of waiting were “brightened” by pre-eclampsia, which was life-threatening for the mother and the babies. Luckily, Beyoncé had a successful C-section.

Nicole Kidman

Nicole Kidman went through an ectopic pregnancy, several miscarriages, and IVF procedures. It took the actress half her life to fight against infertility. Before her first pregnancy, the star adopted two children with her husband at the time, Tom Cruise. With her current husband, Keith Urban, the celebrity has two children. Nicole carried the first daughter herself and had the second with the help of a surrogate mother, Sheila. Later, Nicole even introduced her daughter to Sheila’s family.

Jessie J

Jessie was diagnosed with endometriosis and told she could never have children. The singer expressed her pain through art and wrote a song about her experience. The star had a miscarriage in 2021, but she didn’t give up on motherhood: “For sure in the next two years I want to have a baby. Whichever way it happens — naturally, surrogate, IVF, adopted, whatever. I’m open. I just have such maternal energy.”

Has anyone close to you had experience with infertility? How did children happen in your family?