The path to motherhood looks different for everyone, and for some parents, that means using a surrogate in order to start their families — but in many cases, it's not the first stop. Before Kristen Wiig decided to turn to surrogacy to conceive her twins with husband Avi Rothman, she went through the process of in vitro fertilization, or IVF. Now, in a new interview, she's opening up about what a "struggle" that really was.
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She attempted to get pregnant via IVF first.
While talking to The Hollywood Reporter, Kristen called IVF "such a struggle."
"When you go through it, you meet other people who are going through it, and it's almost like this secret little — the whispering conversation at a party. It feels like not a lot of people talk about it," she said.
She noted that the process doesn't have to be as 'private' as it is.
"It is such a private thing, but maybe it doesn't have to be," she said. "It's part of my story and part of how I got my amazing family."
Today, Kristen and Avi's twins, Luna and Shiloh, are 4 years old.
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This isn't the first time she's talked about IVF.
In an interview with InStyle in August 2020, Kristen shared that she had spent three years going through IVF, calling it "the most difficult time of my life."
"I wasn’t myself. There are so many emotions that go with it — you’re always waiting by the phone and getting test results, and it was just bad news after bad news," she said. "Occasionally there would be a good month, but then it was just more bad news. There was a lot of stress and heartache."
She called her surrogacy experience 'bittersweet' at the time.
"I was over the moon feeling them kick for the first time, but then I would get in my head and ask myself all these questions, like, 'Why couldn’t I do this?' At the same time I would tell myself it didn’t matter. She was giving us the greatest gift, and I just wanted them to get here," she said.
She hopes by sharing her story that others going through the same thing will feel less alone.
"As private as I am and as sacred as this all is, what helped me was reading about other women who went through it and talking to those who have gone through IVF and fertility stuff," she said in 2020. "It can be the most isolating experience. But I’m trying to find that space where I can keep my privacy and also be there for someone else who may be going through it."
