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’.
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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.
“Through it all, God has been so good to us, and we’re grateful for this great testimony. Thank you, Abba Father. God bless our doctors; God bless our surrogate mum. It’s a new dawn. Welcome to the world, Baby TA.”
Adesua Etomi-Wellington
Having experienced decayed twin embryos, three failed IVF procedures, and PCOS, actress, Etomi-Wellington, finally opened up on her experience while trying to conceive a child for her husband, Bankole Wellington, aka Banky W.
At a programme in the Waterbrook Church, which they attend, the couple shared their struggle with childbirth.
According to them, they had both decided to give birth immediately after their marriage in 2017, but that did not happen until 2021. A year after all natural attempts failed, they decided to try IVF. The first IVF was successful, and she was said to be carrying a set of twins. But, that ended in bad news after a scan revealed that the babies had no heartbeat.
Despite the setback, the couple didn’t give up, and they went for the second and third rounds of IVF, which were also unsuccessful. At that point, the medical reports they received were not encouraging.
Etomi-Wellington said, “The doctors said I had PCOS (a condition in women characterised by irregular or no menstrual periods, acne, obesity, and excess hair growth). The medical report also indicated that Banky’s sperm morphology was not right.
“After the third attempt, I said I was not doing again. I am not taking any single drug or injection. I am not doing anything anymore. If God gives me a child, praise Jesus, but if He is not giving me any child, that’s okay.”
She later gave birth through natural means to her son, Hazaiah, in February 2021, two and half years after the first failed IVF.
Toyin Abraham
In October 2019, actress and producer, Toyin Abraham, revealed that she had her child after struggling with infertility. She made this revelation on social media in a now deleted video on how traditional medicine helped her beat the struggle of infertility. She also launched ‘Toyins Herbal Female Fertility Booster’, a root and herb concoction for women trying to get pregnant.
Though she was formerly married to actor, Adeniyi Johnson, the union was not blessed with a child before it crashed. She later got married to another actor, Kolawole Ajeyemi, and they had a baby boy in August 2019.
Etinosa Idemudia
Although married twice, actress, Etinosa Idemudia, recently recounted her struggle with infertility and PCOS. In a post on her Instagram page on January 18, 2024, she spoke about her infertility experience. She wrote, “Why is it that in this country, when a woman isn’t getting pregnant, the family of the husband, including the man, will blame the woman; even without a diagnosis. To every man/woman out there trying to conceive, just know that God has not forsaken you. If he can bless me with a child after years of PCOS, tears and shame; then, He can and He will definitely turn the tables to favour you.”
“Ten years ago, I went through hell. I thought I was the problem. I have taken a part of my life story and created a movie that I hope will minister to and entertain you.”
The actress had unveiled her daughter few days to the end of 2020. In an interview with Saturday Beats in 2021, Idemudia stated that she had been trying to get pregnant for seven years. She had said, “It was a high-risk pregnancy but God saw me through. I was two months gone before I knew I was pregnant. I would not even have known until much later if not that my long-time doctor and friend forced me to do a pregnancy test when I was busy treating ‘stubborn malaria’.”
She concluded by saying, “I waited for about seven years (before having this child). My advice to awaiting mothers is that they should take their minds off the issue and relax. It is a tough advice that almost sounds crazy, but that was the advice I got from my sister-in-law years ago. She is also a polycystic ovary syndrome conqueror. It worked back then, but I lost the pregnancies. Then, I threw away her advice and naturally became anxious. Anxiety turned to desperation and I did take in again, even with the drugs I was taking then. It was not until last year that I finally learnt to relax. Let go and let God.”
Wumi Toriola
It wasn’t until she was celebrating the second birthday of her son, Zion, in October 2021 that she revealed that she had problem conceiving. She wrote, “I think it’s about time to tell my little story, and this is to encourage someone. I wanted to rest after marriage before conception and boom, ‘my supposed rest’ finished, but no conception. I didn’t see it as a problem, until someone said, ‘Is it that easy. After all, she is married, but she has never been pregnant’. As the playful person that I am, it did not ‘hit’ until six months passed. Then, it started to dawn on me.
“I flew to a fertility hospital, but the annoying thing is that one needs to go with one’s partner. That was a tough one, because it sure sends signals like, has she damaged her womb?
“To cut the story short, I was told there was no issue, that it would come. I had intrauterine insemination (a fertility treatment that gives sperm a better chance at fertilising an egg) two times. After the last one, I started having funny symptoms of pregnancy even without a test. I thought I was pregnant and was unnecessarily careful.
“One month passed, I did a test, but alas, no conception. I was mad at myself. 30 days of injection and ‘hard work’ again. My doctor would laugh at me and assure me there was no issue with us. I lost hope in IUI, and was ready for IVF; then my miraculous conception came.
“I wish I could explain the anger and the sadness through those little times of waiting but just one day, I forgot all.”
In conclusion, she wrote, “To everyone looking for a miracle, the set time is now and it shall not tarry. Please, don’t take medicals lightly.”