For many people, becoming a parent is their dream. Nonetheless, some people have a tougher time getting pregnant and giving birth than others. FAITH AJAYI examines a few celebrities that battled infertility.
Stephanie Coker-Aderinokun
Media presenter and producer, Stephanie Coker-Aderinokun, is one woman that has often spoken out about her struggle with childbearing. In a recent interview, she stated that she was first diagnosed of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome at the age of 16. She has also documented her journey in a documentary series on her YouTube channel titled, ‘African and Pregnant’.
In an interview with Saturday Beats on March 7, 2020, Coker-Aderinokun noted the struggles she faced while trying to have a baby via in-vitro fertilisation. She said, “It was not only draining but life-threatening as I developed Ovarian Hyper Stimulation Syndrome. My stomach became swollen with fluids. I threw up blood and was aspirated every day for a week. This syndrome causes the ovaries to swell and become painful. It can become very serious and ultimately life threatening.”
In another interview with media personality, Chude Jideonwo, she spoke more about her experience battling PCOS. She stated that there was a time she did not menstruate for a year. According to her, she tried getting pregnant naturally but the wait was traumatic for her, so she opted for IVF, which was successful.
Coker-Aderinokun had her traditional wedding in December 2016, while the white wedding followed in August 2017. She had her first child in November 2019.
Nse Ikpe-Etim
Talented actress, Nse Ikpe-Etim, is the darling of many on account of how she interprets her roles in movies. However, in the real world, she had had to struggle with infertility. She stated that she had a medical condition— adenomyosis— which eventually led to her removing her womb.
She first spoke about the condition and why she had not been able to give birth at an event tagged, ‘Conversation with Nse’ in Lekki, Lagos, on May 11, 2019. She stated that she cried when she was first diagnosed with the disease in 2016. She had said, “I was told I couldn’t have kids, so, I had to have a hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) to make me have a life again and to stop going through what I was going through. I’m literarily telling women and men, it really doesn’t matter if you can’t bear children. What really matters is what you would do for the world, for the universe.”
She added, “Tears dropped, and my husband squeezed my hand. It was reassuring that there was someone there and it was telling me that this is reality, my reality. The ordeal made me fall into depression.
“I didn’t think there was any point anymore, because society had taught me that I had to be a mother to be appreciated. And every time I went online, a troll or two would say, ‘You haven’t given birth’? But, I’m thankful that that didn’t break me.”
In another interview with media personality, Ebuka Obi-Uchendu, in 2020, she stated that she was tired of people making false assumptions, so she decided to go public about her condition. She said, “I am tired of the trolls just yapping. You know you have no idea of what goes on in people’s lives. It’s so easy to sit behind a computer or your phone and just type. The other person reading it is human; you don’t say things that are hurtful.”
In yet another interview with Chude Jideonwo in May 2022, she noted that she ad her husband were dog parents for now. When asked if adoption was an option she had ever considered, she said, “You never say never but right now, Clifford (husband) and I are dog parents.”
She married her husband, Clifford Sule, who was her childhood sweetheart, on February 14, 2013.
Biola Adebayo
Actress and producer, Biola Adebayo, welcomed her first child in her forties.
Speaking about her childbirth struggle on her YouTube page on May 30, 2023, she noted that she and her husband had agreed that if after six months, they didn’t see any signs, they would opt for either IVF or surrogacy. She added that she had a failed IVF, one cancelled surrogate circle, and three failed surrogates within two years of marriage. She noted that it was at her fourth attempt that her first child was birthed via surrogacy.
She announced this on social media after the birth of her son on April 11, 2023. She wrote, “After one failed IVF, one cancelled surrogate circle, three failed surrogate attempts in two years, God has finally blessed my husband and I with a great son through our surrogate mum.
