Kristen Wiig Candidly Admitted Her IVF Journey Was The 'Most Difficult Time' In Her Life

Kristen Wiig has been open about her non-linear motherhood journey. The "Bridesmaids" actor has two children, twins Luna and Shiloh, whom she shares with husband Avi Rothman. However, the road to parenthood isn't the same for everyone, including Wiig; in 2020, she and Rothman welcomed their kids via surrogate. 

While surrogacy is controversial, many women who struggle with fertility hire surrogates to carry their children. During an August 2020 interview with InStyle, eight months after the birth of Luna and Shiloh, Wiig revealed that she and Rothman initially spent three years trying to conceive through IVF. "Emotionally, spiritually, and medically, it was probably the most difficult time in my life. I wasn't myself," Wiig said. "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 ... There was a lot of stress and heartache."

After years of trying, Wiig eventually decided to explore surrogacy as an option. She found an "amazing" surrogate, but still had occasional feelings of inadequacy during the process. "So many things were bittersweet. 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," Wiig told InStyle of her surrogacy experience. "She was giving us the greatest gift, and I just wanted them to get here!"

Kristen Wiig is one of many women in Hollywood who have discussed their experience with IVF and surrogacy. While some stars like Rachel Ray unapologetically choose to not have kids, others have gone to great lengths to expand their families. Celebrities like Gabrielle Union, Kim and Khloé Kardashian, and Priyanka Chopra have turned to surrogates. Like Wiig, Union has openly discussed her fertility struggles; she revealed in her 2017 book that she suffered "eight or nine" miscarriages (via People). Union also spent three years trying to conceive with husband Dwayne Wade through IVF before turning to a surrogate to carry their daughter Kaavia James in 2018.

The Kardashian sisters and Chopra all cited medical complications as the reason for their decisions to seek out surrogates. Chopra responded to accusations of her hiring a surrogate for "vanity" reasons in an interview with British Vogue, stating that surrogacy was a "necessary step" for her and husband Nick Jonas due to undisclosed medical issues. After Kim Kardashian, who is known for having one of the most memorable Met Gala looks, had high-risk pregnancies with her first two kids, she hired surrogates to carry her third and fourth children, Chicago and Psalm. Khloé Kardashian has spoken out about feeling "detached" during the surrogacy process for her son Tatum (via People); according to Khloé, she sought out a surrogate after doctors told her that she had a very high risk of miscarrying if she carried a second child.

Fertility issues and difficult, exhausting pregnancies are more common for women than many think. Whether you agree or disagree with the concept of surrogacy, celebrities speaking out and de-stigmatizing said problems and promoting alternative methods is a step in the right direction for women's health.