Jennifer Aniston has opened up about her IVF journey in a new interview, discussing the "challenging" time in her life and talking publicly about her fertility struggles for the first time.
The Friends star spoke candidly about the public pressure she felt to start a family, and the difficulties she faced when trying to conceive.
Trigger warning - this article discusses infertility and IVF
As the December cover star for Allure magazine, Jennifer also touched on the "hard shit" she went through in her 30s and 40s, and how it helped her to become who she is today.
She said: "All the years and years and years of speculation... It was really hard. I was going through IVF, drinking Chinese teas, you name it. I was throwing everything at it.
"I would’ve given anything if someone had said to me: ‘Freeze your eggs. Do yourself a favour.’ You just don’t think it. So here I am today. The ship has sailed."
While she reflects that the experience was hard, she adds that she has "zero regrets" and is glad she tried, stating: "I actually feel a little relief now because there is no more: ‘Can I? Maybe. Maybe. Maybe.’ I don’t have to think about that anymore."
Jennifer also responded to the 'narrative' that she decided against starting a family because she was more focused on her career than children, saying that the media consistently claimed her marriages to both Brad Pitt and Justin Theroux ended because she didn't want to become a mother.
"God forbid a woman is successful and doesn’t have a child," she said.
"And the reason my husband left me, why we broke up and ended our marriage, was because I wouldn’t give him a kid. It was absolute lies.
"I don’t have anything to hide at this point."
In 2016, Jen An penned an op-ed for HuffPost where she responded to pregnancy rumours, saying that she was 'fed up with the sport-like scrutiny and body shaming that occurs daily'.
If you have been affected by anything discussed in this article, The Fertility Foundation can provide support to those seeking advice.
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