Why Kourtney Kardashian's IVF Journey Has Been So Hard For Her
On The Kardashians season 1 episode 2, Kourtney Kardashian is opening up about the IVF process and how it's taking quite a toll on her.
During The Kardashians episode 2, Kourtney Kardashian is getting real about the emotional and physical cost of the IVF (in-vitro fertilization) process, and her honesty is inspiring fans. In the second installment of the series, she shares her desire to have a baby with Travis Barker, who's secretly planning to propose to her in Santa Barbara, California, with a Lorraine Schwartz engagement ring. She decided to try IVF, despite its very real downside. In the episode, Kourtney wasn't pregnant yet, and she was finding the IVF process challenging for a multitude of reasons.
Kourtney, 43, is the mother of three children, Mason, Penelope and Reign Disick, while Travis, 46, is the father of two kids, Alabama and Landon Barker. Clearly, both halves of this mega-famous pairing love being around children, so it's makes perfect sense that they want to welcome a child of their own. Because their children hung out, these parents were friends for years before they dated, so they've already set the stage for a happy blended family.
During The Kardashians season 1 episode 2, Kourtney and Travis were shown house-hunting in ritzy Bel-Air, and they explored a gorgeous home built in 1934, which gives off serious Old Hollywood vibes. These two are settling down, but Kourtney is dealing with a lot of stress due to her IVF journey, and her insights about the in-vitro fertilization process are interesting and resonant.
Kourtney has always embraced the joys of motherhood, even though the controversial attachment parenting style that she chose while raising her three children has gotten some shade. Now, she's ready to try for another baby, and if her IVF treatments turn out to be successful, she may use attachment parenting techniques (including consistent loving care and nurturing touch) with her newest addition.
During episode 2, Kourtney let The Kardashians fans know that doing IVF is not an "amazing" experience. In fact, she shared that taking IVF medication was making her depressed. Since Kourtney is into healthy living, she didn't enjoy taking all of that medication in the first place. She's always very conscious of what she's putting into her body. She actually felt like the medications were having a contraceptive effect, but this is very unlikely, as they are fertility drugs. Lastly, in Kourtney's view, the drugs that she took during IVF treatments were pushing her into menopause.
Over the course of the episode, due to discussions about Kourtney wanting to conceive, it was revealed that Kris Jenner had a miscarriage back in 1994. Kris shared that sad fact herself. Kris comforted Kourtney, reassuring her by telling her that she would probably have a baby by the same time next year. The momager was very compassionate with her daughter, and this seemed to lift Kourtney's spirits.
During the episode, Kim Kardashian got help with her SNL preparations from Amy Schumer, who underwent two unsuccessful rounds of IVF when she was 30. While Amy didn't talk about IVF on The Kardashians, her experiences with the process echoed Kourtney's. IVF can be very rough, and Amy has posted pictures of the bruising on her belly that she sustained while getting IVF treatments.
Now that Kourtney is sharing her own experiences, she's opening up a discussion that's important. The more that people talk about the pros and cons of IVF, the better. By getting real about the way that IVF has affected her body and mind, she is relating to countless others who have had the same experiences. Hopefully, Kourtney and Travis will share a baby soon. Most The Kardashians fans are rooting for them.