On a recent episode of her podcast, IMO with Michelle Obama & Craig Robinson, Michelle Obama opened up to Serena Williams about her and Barack’s struggle to get pregnant. Revealing a “devastating” miscarriage as well as their journey with IVF, fans saw a whole new side of the former first lady, and praised her for sharing her story. Keep reading for more information.
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Michelle Obama Shares Her Infertility Journey
Right away, Michelle and Serena got to talking about motherhood, and Michelle wasn't afraid to be vulnerable with her story. "Barack and I, we married in our late twenties, took our time, hanging tough, and then we started working on conceiving," she said. "I got pregnant once and miscarried, which was devastating. And then we tried and tried and tried, and we had to do IVF for both girls."
Michelle and Barack share two daughters together, Malia, 28, and Sasha, 25, and Michelle was 44 and 47 years old, respectively, when she had them. For context, in the U.S., the average age of first-time mothers is around the late 20s, and births to women in their 40s make up a small fraction of all births. Generally speaking, fertility declines with age, which is why women do tend to have children earlier on in life.
Social Media Reactions
Across social media platforms, users praised Michelle for being vulnerable and sharing her story. "This is why we need to talk about pregnancy loss and infertility with far more compassion," one person wrote on Instagram. "You were never the failure. You were a woman trying to become a mother."
"She's so authentic," another user wrote.
"Pregnancy loss and infertility are issues that can affect anyone," a third person posted. "Speaking about seeking help for fertility issues lowers the stigma and lends an invisible support to someone who is going through it all."
"Wow. I never knew this," another person wrote. "So glad she was brave enough to share."
"Your fertility journey does not determine your worth," a final user wrote. "Thank you for sharing your story."
