11 Celebrities Who Battled Infertility

Countless female celebrities, for instance, have suffered miscarriages and battled infertility. Here are just a small number of those women who have endured the pains of losing children or trying and failing to conceive:

1. Carrie Underwood

After the birth of her son Isaiah, the country music superstar lost three children to miscarriage in the span of two years. She said that she relied on her faith throughout the suffering. When pregnant with her second son, Jacob, she feared that she was experiencing another miscarriage. However, she said she prayed like never before and God heard her prayer. Jacob is now two years old. 

2. Shawn Johnson

Former Olympic gymnast Shawn Johnson also suffered a miscarriage that brought her to her knees. She struggled to get pregnant because of her years of intense training, but was overjoyed when, in 2018, she found out she had a little one on board. “When I found out I was pregnant, it was the greatest moment in the world because it was basically God’s miracle of, ‘Yes, you’ve hurt your body for so many years, but this can still happen’.” Sadly, she lost her baby eight weeks into pregnancy. A year later, though, she welcomed a baby girl. And just last month, she gave birth to a son! 

3. Anne Hathaway

Actress Anne Hathaway has not been shy about the “infertility hell” that she has gone through. She candidly described being tormented by seeing pregnant women while suffering month after month of disappointment. Upon announcing her second pregnancy, she wrote that she was “sending... extra love” to all those undergoing the same battle. She now has two sons with her husband, Adam Shulman.

4. Tia Mowry-Hardrict

The Sister-Sister actress underwent two surgeries and a major diet change in order to overcome her endometriosis diagnosis and conceive. After giving birth to her son in 2011, she and her husband struggled for seven more years before getting pregnant with their daughter in 2018. “I didn’t let my infertility issues define me or define what my goals were and what I wanted out of life. We did try for a long time. It was hard. But I didn’t give up,” Tia told People. 

5. Emma Bunton

Emma Bunton (perhaps better known as Baby Spice) received a devastating endometriosis diagnosis in her twenties and was told that childbearing would likely not happen for her. “That nearly broke me,” she told Stella magazine, describing how badly she wanted to be a mother. She didn’t give up hope, though, and, five years after her initial diagnosis, she conceived! She and her husband, Jade Jones, now have a son and a daughter.

6. Beyoncé  

In her 2013 documentary, Life Is But a Dream, Beyoncé revealed that she recorded a song after losing a child to miscarriage. “It was the saddest thing I’ve ever been through,” she said. The song, entitled “Heartbeat,” never made it onto her 2013 album, but a snippet of it has been made public. The lyrics “I’m longing for your heartbeat” share the pain of miscarriage. 

7. Jessie J

The British singer was told by doctors that she would be unable to have children. However, she has expressed her hope, saying, “I don’t believe it. I believe in miracles. I haven’t given up.” She has worked to change her diet in order to improve her chances of conceiving. 

8. Mariah Carey

The mom of twins has opened up about the trials she went through to get pregnant. After suffering a miscarriage, she went on progesterone to help her get pregnant and, eventually, stay pregnant. Progesterone supplements work wonders to help prevent miscarriage and premature birth. 

9. Alanis Morissette

In 2020, Alanis Morissette was a guest on Dax Shepard’s podcast and spoke about the difficulties she faced in growing her family. She had several miscarriages and a molar pregnancy. She called herself a “cynical optimist,” saying that she will “get depressed and cry” but know that “at the end of the day, there’s still that little light.” She is now a mom of three. 

10. Katherine Heigl

Katherine and her husband, singer-songwriter Josh Kelley, initially struggled to conceive. They adopted two beautiful daughters and, then, in 2016, Katherine got pregnant! She blogged about pregnancy, writing, “We were considering adoption again, fostering, or pregnancy if possible… I wasn’t sure pregnancy was even in the cards for us. Turns out, it was very much in the cards!” 

11. Trista Sutter

The first star of The Bachelorette, Trista Sutter, has been open about the “dark time” in her life when she was unable to conceive. “I always wanted to be a mom. It was always my dream,” she said. “When you get married you believe, ‘Okay, the next natural thing is to have babies’.” When that didn’t happen, she said she began to question her marriage, herself, and even God. It was a very difficult time in her life. Now, though, she is the happy mother to two children. 

Closing Thoughts

Infertility can, at times, feel like a burden that’s impossible to bear. There’s some comfort, though, in knowing – if you’re going through this trial – that you’re not alone. 6% of women in the United States are unable to get pregnant after a year of trying, and 12% have difficulty getting pregnant or carrying a pregnancy to term. Infertility and impaired fecundity affect women of all walks of life. Despite the deep sorrow, though, there is always hope. 

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