Learning from the Kardashians: IVF, Pregnancy and Women's Health

Love them or hate them, the Kardashian family has become an empire. Led by social media influencer and entrepreneur Kim Kardashian, the individual family members have all gained a large social media following. To put it bluntly, when the Kardashians speak, the media listens. For years, the Kardashians have used their platform to discuss infertility and women’s health. In this article, we will be discussing some of the Kardashian-Jenner clan's top fertility reveals over the years.

Kim Kardashian:

Photograph courtesy of David Shankbone, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

The raven-haired beauty is well-known for her social media presence and love of fashion. Now the mother of four, Kim Kardashian has shared the difficulty she experienced on her path to motherhood. She has publicly reported that her first and second pregnancies were complicated by preeclampsia, a condition that can cause high blood pressure and damage to the kidneys and liver. Kim also was diagnosed with placenta accreta, which occurs when the placenta grows too deeply into the uterine wall, creating a risk for severe blood loss. Due to the dangers involved, her medical team strongly recommended against a future pregnancy. Kim and then-husband Kanye West elected to proceed with gestational surrogacy. Following egg retrieval and embryo banking, they welcomed baby number three (Chicago) and baby number four (Psalm). In recent statements, she has revealed that she has two additional frozen embryos remaining from her IVF cycles.

Khloe Kardashian:

Photograph courtesy of Eric Longden, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Khloe Kardashian has publicly shared her struggles with infertility. In earlier episodes of the family’s reality show, a fertility workup revealed a lower antral follicle count than expected and concern regarding her fertility. More recently, Khloe has revealed that she had multiple cycles of IVF and egg freezing. Sadly, after thawing her frozen eggs, none were viable. She openly shared her regret at having frozen her eggs as opposed to freezing embryos, as the latter has a greater likelihood of success. Following the birth of her daughter, she reported stress at the delay between the birth of her first child and a subsequent pregnancy. She elected to proceed with surrogacy, and welcomed her son in July 2022.

Kourtney Kardashian:

Photograph courtesy of Britt Bellamy, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

The eldest daughter of the Kardashians was previously in a long-term relationship with Scott Disick, resulting in the birth of three children. She later married rocker Travis Barker, and they have publicly shared their struggles with secondary infertility. In Season 2 of the reality show, Kourtney revealed that she underwent IVF for eight months. After dealing with the heartbreak that no viable embryos were available, the couple revealed that they would be putting IVF aside and proceed with trying "naturally". Kourtney has revealed her experience with weight gain resulting from IVF and the added stress involved with being in the public eye. In earlier episodes, she reported that the fertility medications had placed her in “menopause”.

Kris Jenner:

Photograph courtesy of Nicole Alexander, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

The “momager” and family matriarch is not one to shy away from discussing women’s health issues. The mother of six, her first four children were shared with well-known attorney Robert Kardashian. Following their divorce, Kris married Olympian Bruce Jenner (now Caitlyn Jenner). She gave birth to her fifth baby, Kendall, just before her 40th birthday. Her youngest child, Kylie, was born when Kris was 41. Kris Jenner has discussed her experiences with menopause. In several episodes, she discussed her use of hormone replacement therapy.

Kylie Jenner:

Photograph courtesy of Hayu, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

The youngest child of Kris Jenner is on the fast track. With huge success in the makeup industry, she has achieved billionaire status. Her personal life is moving just as quickly. At 25 years of age, she recently gave birth to her second child. Kylie gave birth to her first child, Stormi, at just 20 years of age. The young mom has discussed her struggles with postpartum depression. She revealed that she cried “nonstop” for three weeks following the birth of her son earlier this year.

Kendall Jenner:

Photograph courtesy of VOGUE Taiwan, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

The daughter of Kris Jenner and Caitlyn Jenner, Kendall has made a name for herself in the fashion industry. The model is the only daughter of Kris who does not yet have children. In a recent episode, mom Kris was pressuring Kendall to consider freezing her eggs to preserve future fertility. Although Kendall declined to do so, the discussion resonated with many viewers.

Takeaway Message:

The Kardashian-Jenner clan has a large platform and a huge following. Over the years, the family has highlighted many important issues involving fertility, pregnancy and women’s health in general.

Do you find it helpful when celebrities share their fertility struggles? Please share in the comments below.