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There’s a lot to consider when it comes to having children, including your health, finances, career, and countless other aspects of your own personal situation. Frankly, just because you want to be a parent one day doesn’t mean that everything will line up in just the right way at just the right time. That’s why many stars freeze their eggs.
« Oocyte cryopreservation — the technical term for egg freezing — was developed in the 1980s, » and in the past, it was « reserved for those with serious medical conditions who wanted the option to have a baby later in life, » according to The Guardian. However, « in the past few years, the procedure has gotten something of a makeover, thanks to a crop of fertility startups marketing it as essential for the everyday, liberated woman. » In fact, egg freezing has gone « from a strictly medical procedure that happens in a clinical environment to a boutique experience » — complete with « winking Instagram ads … chic offices and happy-hour informational sessions, » offering up « convenience and comfort, but also empowerment. »
Indeed, that’s the reason why many women — including these stars — have chosen to freeze their eggs. But that’s not all that’s behind the process that’s sometimes complicated when it comes to both the physical and emotional aspects involved. In fact, some celebrities may have been through more than you knew while attempting to ensure that they’ll one day be able to have children.
Chrishell Stause hoped freezing her eggs would ’empower’ her
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« I definitely had a different idea for where I would be at this age and stage in my life, » Chrishell Stause told People in September 2020. The Selling Sunset star — who went through a somewhat messy public split from This Is Us actor Justin Hartley — continued by saying that « there’s a family aspect » that she feels like she’s « missing » in her life, and « hope[s] is still a possibility » for her.
That’s why, while talking to People, Stause revealed, « I have taken the steps to freeze my eggs. » She also explained that the decision was motivated by the desire to make things easier for herself in at least one area of her life. « I’m going to do everything I can to take that power in the situation, and hopefully, that will empower me going forward in the dating world, so there’s not so much pressure, » she said.
Granted, that doesn’t mean that Stause’s decision to freeze her eggs made everything easy. In fact, things were surely a little rough on Stause due to her schedule. « I was in the middle of the process when [Dancing With the Stars] approached me, » she recalled, saying that « for the first weeks of rehearsal, [she] was giving [herself] daily hormone shots while learning the tango, and the procedure was done a few days before the premiere of the show. » She added, « Maybe I could blame that on my less than stellar tango! »
Amy Schumer wanted to give her son a sibling
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Amy Schumer may have become famous for her funny-lady ways, but her experience with freezing her eggs was no joke. In January 2020, the star took to Instagram to share a raw photo of her bruised body, telling her fans that she « was freezing [her] eggs and figuring out what to do to give [her son] Gene a sibling. »
« I’m a week into IVF and feeling really run down and emotional, » Schumer wrote in the caption. Asking for advice from anyone who had also been through the trying process and might be willing to open up to her about what they’d been through themselves, she even shared her phone number so that her followers could reach out to her.
However, in August, Schumer revealed that she and her husband, Chris Fischer, put their plans to have another child on hold. She told Sunday Today with Willie Geist, « We did IVF, and IVF was really tough on me. » The star, who also suffered from hyperemesis gravidarum during her first pregnancy, added, « I don’t think I could ever do IVF again … I decided that I can’t be pregnant ever again. » While they’ve « thought about [using] a surrogate, » they decided that at the time, they were « going to hold off » on that.
Rita Ora is grateful for technology
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While some people don’t start thinking about their fertility until their late 20s (or beyond … or ever) and others wait until their 30s to take action when it comes to preserving their ability to have children in the future, Rita Ora took another route. In a 2017 interview with Australian breakfast show Sunrise, Ora revealed that she had frozen her eggs in her early 20s. Why? Well, although she admitted that it might have simply been her being a « hypochondriac, » the « Let You Love Me » singer who said she has « always wanted a big family » revealed that her doctor suggested it. She explained, « He said, ‘You’re healthiest now, and I think it would be great. Why don’t you just put them away and then you never have to worry about it again?' »
While Ora noted that the decision to freeze one’s eggs is based « on people’s beliefs, » she also told the hosts that she’s « a big believer in using what we have and making the most of it. » And in her opinion, « it’s amazing the technology we have now to kind of really take control of our own destiny. » For the singer, that included freezing her eggs.
However, the star acknowledged the fact that there are some who might be surprised by her decision. « I know some people might be like, ‘Wow, that’s so young,' » she said. « But I just really wanted to be safe. »
Halsey is ‘aggressive about protecting’ her fertility
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Halsey has been honest about what she’s endured when it comes to both having a miscarriage and being diagnosed with endometriosis, which can be incredibly painful and also affect fertility.
« When a woman has endometriosis, this tissue grows in places it shouldn’t. Examples include your ovaries, intestines, or tissue that lines your pelvis, » according to Healthline. When it comes to how endometriosis affects fertility, « If a woman has endometriosis in her fallopian tube lining, the tissue may keep the egg from traveling to the uterus. » Endometriosis can also « damage a woman’s egg or a man’s sperm, » and although « doctors don’t know exactly why this occurs, a theory is that endometriosis causes greater levels of inflammation in the body. » In Halsey’s case, she’s decided to deal with things, in part, by freezing her eggs, which is something else she’s been willing to talk about.
During an appearance on The Doctors (via People), she said, « I’m 23 years old, and I’m going to freeze my eggs. And when I tell people that, they’re like, ‘You’re 23, why do you need to do that? Why do you need to freeze your eggs?' » Although others might be confused by Halsey’s decision, she explained her reasoning, saying, « Doing an ovarian reserve is important to me because I’m fortunate enough to have that as an option, but I need to be aggressive about protecting my fertility, about protecting myself. »
Olivia Munn thinks ‘every girl should’ freeze their eggs
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Olivia Munn opened up about freezing her eggs during an interview for the Anna Faris is Unqualified podcast in 2016, saying that she did it because her friend found out she « had the egg count of a 50-something-year-old woman. » Munn decided to visit a doctor herself, and while she was told she has « a lot of eggs, » she was also told that she might as well freeze some of them so that she would always have them available.
The star also talked about turning 35, saying that’s when « you’re high risk. » However, « many doctors are quick to discount the belief that age 35 always and instantly draws a line between a healthy pregnancy and a high-risk one, » according to Self. Indeed, Sarah J. Kilpatrick, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Cedars-Sinai, told Self, « I would never tell someone that just because she’s 35 she has to see a high-risk doctor — only if there’s something in her history or something that happened during her pregnancy that warrants it. »
That may be true, but Munn clearly still feels confident in her decision. « I think that every girl should do it. … [For] one, you don’t have to race the clock anymore. You don’t have to worry about it, » she told the former Mom star and podcast host. « Doomsday is now like ‘whatevers day,’ because I am prepared. »
Sofia Vergara’s frozen eggs sparked a legal battle
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While many people face the physical and emotional hardships of freezing their eggs, the situation ended up entangling Sofia Vergara in a complicated legal battle. In 2013, she told Good Morning America (via Us Weekly) that she had frozen her eggs so that she might be able to have a baby with her then-fiancé, Nicholas Loeb. The actress told GMA, « I have my son, Manolo, so it’s not an emergency for me to have another kid, but for Nicky, he’s never had a baby. »
However, Vergara and Loeb broke up the next year and ended up in a custody battle over their embryos. « Loeb first took his ex to court for the matter back in 2014 in his home state of California, but later dropped the suit, » according to USA Today. After that, he « established a trust for the embryos in the much more pro-life state of Louisiana, where he then proceeded to sue Vergara. »
While a judge originally « ordered … Vergara to pay her ex … $76,433 in attorney’s fees and $2,959.26 in costs amid their legal battle, » per E!, another ruling went « in Vergara’s favor » due to the fact « that one cannot seek custody of an embryo under the Uniform Child Custody Jurisdiction Act, a law that was enacted to resolve custody disputes over children of parents residing in different states. » As of 2018, the embryos were still « frozen at a Beverly Hills clinic. »
Rebel Wilson’s frozen eggs are ‘a back-up plan’
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While doing an interview for the Kyle & Jackie O Show in 2019, Rebel Wilson told the hosts about freezing her eggs, saying that she’s « just come from the fertility clinic, actually. » The Isn’t It Romantic star who’s also appeared in movies like The Hustle, Jojo Rabbit, and Cats, not to mention the Pitch Perfect film franchise — which proves just how busy she is when it comes to her on-screen job — then opened up about her reasoning. She explained, « It’s a back-up plan. Career women now [should] have options, you know? »
The career women around Wilson are apparently taking full advantage of this particular fertility-related opportunity, as the actress noted, « A lot of my friends here in Hollywood are doing it. »
However, Wilson doesn’t necessarily think that a person has to live in Los Angeles or have a job in show business to freeze their eggs. The celeb — who was 39 years old at the time of the interview, according to the Daily Mail — added, « A lot of women, especially in their 30s or if they can in their 40s, should think about doing it now. »
Céline Dion got pregnant with an 8-year-old frozen embryo
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In 2009, People reported that Céline Dion had become pregnant using an egg that had been frozen for eight years. Apparently, « Céline had her embryos frozen when she went through IVF while trying to conceive her first child, René-Charles, who was born in January 2001. » Following her Las Vegas residency in 2007, the singer approached her doctor, Dr. Zev Rosenwaks. « She came back to have the embryos transferred back because she wanted to have another baby, » he explained.
Dr. Rosenwaks discussed the age of the embryos used and explained that « there have been embryos that have been [frozen] for more than 10 years, and even more than 15 years, that have successfully thawed and resulted in a pregnancy. »
When Dion got pregnant, and Dr. Rosenwaks gave her the news, he told People that « you could hear her chuckling. » He added that she « was very happy. So was René [her now-late husband]. They are both very thankful. » Sadly, Dion suffered a miscarriage. However, she wasn’t ready to give up on having more children and was able to get pregnant again the next year. In October 2010, she gave birth to twin boys, Nelson and Eddy.
Kourtney Kardashian froze her eggs for (a possible) baby #4
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Kourtney Kardashian may already have three children — sons Mason Dash and Reign Aston as well as daughter Penelope Scotland — with her ex, Scott Disick, but there’s been talk over the years that she’s still considering having a fourth baby. In fact, the reality TV star has even frozen her eggs in expectation of the possibility, which is something she opened up about on a November 2018 episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians.
« The injections themselves really weren’t a big deal because I have a really high pain tolerance, but I think everything was just really heightened, and some days I would feel so anxious. It’s just very emotional, so that I think is the hard part, » she said. In fact, she added, « I’ve been so up and down emotional … It’s like crazy. I feel like I want to jump out of my skin. I’m so crazy, I can’t take it. »
The star also explained that she « hope[s] that going through all of this is worth it because » she doesn’t want to have to go through the physical aspects again. But she apparently feels like the struggle is worth it, saying, « I just feel like it’s just for safety. »
Khloé Kardashian would do something different with her eggs in ‘a perfect world’
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Khloé Kardashian has one child, True, however, the reality TV star is interested in having more children. On an April 2020 episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, she talked about the fact that she was about to go through « her second round of egg retrieval, » according to Us Weekly — which is, FYI, something her mother, Kris Jenner, fully encourages (and even urges) her daughter to do.
Us notes that « following a successful first round of egg retrieval, Khloe opted to freeze the entire batch and not create any embryos » with the father of her daughter, her ex, NBA player Tristan Thompson. However, the second time around, Kardashian was thinking of using her eggs and her ex’s sperm to have another baby. What does Thompson think about that plan? « Tristan will do whatever I want to do, » Kardashian said on KUWTK.
The star opened up about why she wanted to have the procedure done, saying, « I really think I will feel a lot better knowing, OK, I have five embryos in a freezer if I want to use them, I have them there. » She also noted that « in a perfect world, » she’d create embryos with Thompson and freeze some eggs on her own (without fertilizing them with Thompson’s sperm) in case she wants to have a baby with someone else in the future.
Kim Kardashian was told she ‘could never get pregnant’
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While Kim Kardashian has the most children when it comes to herself and her famous siblings, thanks to the fact that the reality TV star and her husband, Kanye West, have four kids together — daughters North and Chicago, and sons Saint and Psalm. However, in 2014, Kardashian told Elle UK that the thing that bothered her the most at the time was the fact that she wasn’t pregnant. « I want to be. We’re trying really hard but it isn’t happening, » she said. She also explained, « A few years ago I was told I could never get pregnant. Three different doctors told me the same thing. »
That’s why Kardashian decided to freeze her eggs. She told Elle UK, « I was just about to do that when I found out I was pregnant with North. »
While Kardashian went on to carry both of her older children, North and Saint, she revealed during an Instagram video which she posted in December 2019 that Kardashian had suffered from serious compilations during both pregnancies, including preeclampsia. She had also undergone multiple surgeries to repair the damage that had been done to her body. That’s why her doctors advised her not to get pregnant again. In fact, they refused to implant any embryos inside of her out of concern for her health. Instead, the star used her and West’s embryos and two different gestational surrogates to have Chicago and Psalm.
Paris Hilton froze her eggs because of Kim Kardashian
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There’s no doubt that Kim Kardashian has a lot of influence when it comes to cosmetics, style, and home design, not to mention undergarments and how her fans smell, but apparently, she can also influence people when it comes to fertility issues.
In August 2020, Paris Hilton told The Sunday Times that Kardashian (who is Hilton’s longtime on-again-off-again friend) motivated her to freeze her eggs. « I had a really amazing conversation with Kim about it, » Hilton said. She also revealed that Kardashian had « introduced » Hilton to the doctor that she has used for her fertility procedures, and Hilton was apparently « so inspired by her to actually do it. »
While Hilton was motivated to freeze her eggs by Kardashian, she seemingly wants to do the same for others. She told The Sunday Times, « I think every woman should do it because you can really control it and not have that ‘Oh my God, I need to get married.' » While Hilton doesn’t have any children as of writing, she’s given herself plenty of time to consider becoming a mom down the road by having her eggs frozen.
