Idina Menzel Secretly Tried To Get Pregnant Through IVF In Late 40’s: I Was ‘Exhausted’
In an in-depth new interview, Idina Menzel is opening up about her struggles to have a second child.
Idina Menzel, 51, tried multiple rounds of in vitro fertilization to try and have a second child after marrying Aaron Lohr in 2017. She opened up about the situation in an interview with InStyle, where she revealed she “lost count” of how many times she tried IVF unsuccessfully. “At a certain time, you’re exhausted emotionally and physically,” Idina admitted. “It becomes apparent that it is just time to let that go and move on.”
In 2009, when Idina was 38, she gave birth to her son, Walker, who she shares with ex-husband Taye Diggs. After she married Aaron, Idina eventually decided that she wanted a second baby, but sadly, was unable to get pregnant, even with the assistance of IVF. She was going through IVF while on tour in 2018, and filmed the struggles she faced for a new documentary, Idina Menzel: Which Way To The Stage?
“For some reason, I was arrogant. They doctors did say it [was] late, but [I seemed] to have a really good chance,” she told the mag. “They sort of filled my head with all this stuff that I was going to be like one in a hundred women that actually gets pregnant at my age. Because I’m a competitive person, I thought, ‘I’m going to do it.'”
Idina is incredibly vulnerable in the documentary, but said that she did wanted to open up to help others who may be facing similar struggles. “I want women to feel like they’re being seen and heard,” Idina explained. “And for people to understand that experience a lot of us go on, how emotional it is, what it does to our bodies and how it affects us day to day.”
Like Idina, Jennifer Aniston also recently opened up about undergoing IVF treatments to try and get pregnant. It was something she had kept secret for years. Of Jennifer’s reveal, Idina said, “I’ve experienced being pregnant and how beautiful that is. I wouldn’t begin to understand her experience, what she needs and what she wanted in her life. But perhaps the fact that this is coming to light from different women, it’s just something that needs to be explored. It’s probably a sign from the universe that we need to discuss it and have this conversation.”