A year and a half after losing her son Jack at 20 weeks due to pregnancy complications, Chrissy Teigen has announced she is in the middle of another in vitro fertilization (IVF) cycle. In a candid Instagram post on Sunday, the model and cookbook author shared a picture of herself stretching with the caption: “I wanted to let you guys know I’m balls deep in another IVF cycle to save as many eggos as I possibly can and hopefully make some strong, healthy embryos. I honestly don’t mind the shots…they make me feel like a doctor/chemist…but the bloating is a bitch.”
Aside from announcing that she was undergoing IVF, Teigen made a plea to those reading: “I humbly beg you to stop asking if I’m pregnant because while I know it’s said with excited, good intentions, it just kind of sucks to hear because I am the opposite of pregnant! But also like please stop asking people, anyone, if they’re pregnant,” she wrote in the caption. “I said this in the comments and got yelled at because the internet is wild but I’d rather be the one to tell you and not some poor woman who will look you in the eyes through tears and that’s how you finally learn.”
Teigen has been open about her fertility struggles, often using her social media to document her experiences with other rounds of IVF treatment and her grief after Jack’s death. The 36-year-old is mom to daughter Luna, 5, and son Miles, 3, with her husband, John Legend, 43. Both children were conceived through IVF. In September 2020, the couple sadly lost Jack at 20 weeks due to a pregnancy complication. “I didn’t get to take care of you but you came and went to get me to love myself and take care of myself because our bodies are precious and life is a miracle. they told me it would get easier but yeah, that hasn’t started yet. mom and dad love you forever,” Teigen captioned heartbreaking photos of herself and her husband in the hospital shortly after Jack’s death.
Anywhere from 10 to 15% of couples in the U.S. are experiencing infertility, according to the Mayo Clinic. The technical definition of infertility is not being able to get pregnant after at least a year of unprotected sex, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explains, although depending on a person’s age, it can be recommended to see a doctor before reaching that point. (For instance, the general guideline is to see a doctor if you’re a person with a vagina who’s 35 or older and hasn’t gotten pregnant after six months of unprotected sex.)