Kourtney Kardashian Provides Update on Her IVF Journey on ‘The Kardashians’
Kourtney Kardashian gave an update on her in vitro fertilization (IVF) journey on Thursday night’s episode of The Kardashians. “We are super excited because it’s the first time that Travis and I have made it to an egg retrieval in six months of doing fertility treatments,” she said.
The episode showed Kardashian, 43, and her husband Travis Barker, 46, visiting their fertility specialist for an update. During this appointment the couple received good news: An ultrasound showed the doctor a follicle, a fluid-filled ovarian sac in which eggs form, per Mayo Clinic.
“That is exactly, precisely what we wanted to see. Right now, [the follicle] is around 19 millimeters,” the doctor said. He saw only one viable follicle but clarified that one follicle can result in multiple babies. “Hopefully, it’ll be high quality and be a normal embryo,” he said.
“I feel like it’s a blessing that we’re here and able to be doing this. Because the last two times we tried we weren’t able to get to this phase,” Kardashian said. “One follicle–the fact that we have any just gives me a lot of hope.”
After the ultrasound, the doctor prepared Kardashian for the next step, known as egg retrieval. During this process, eggs are extracted from the follicle through a thin needle inserted into an ultrasound guide. Patients are sedated and given pain medication for this procedure, according to Mayo Clinic. Barker’s sperm retrieval also occurred during the doctor’s visit. After both sperm and egg retrieval, fertilization occurs, the goal of which is a healthy embryo.
“So after they retrieve the egg today, hopefully then they make an embryo, which takes six days, and then they test the embryo and then they implant the embryo, and then it hopefully becomes a pregnancy,” Kardashian said. She added that she was cautiously optimistic, due to the number of steps in the IVF process that have to go right in order for a successful pregnancy to occur. “Yes, we are super excited and grateful to be here, but I think we also don’t want to feel too attached or too happy before we know because there are so many steps.”
Kardashian also said she looks forward to hopefully parenting with Barker: “I do love being a mom. I think having that experience with Travis would just be incredible. I know he’s a really, really amazing father.”
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