Jennifer Aniston Opens Up About IVF Struggles for the First Time

Jennifer Aniston.Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/Getty Images

For the first time, Jennifer Aniston is sharing details about her IVF journey. In the December issue cover story of Allure, the actress says she tried getting pregnant for several years and attempted everything from drinking Chinese teas to IVF. She has no regrets about the whole process, for better or for worse, because it made her who she was “meant to be.”

“My late 30s, 40s, I’d gone through really hard sh-t. I was trying to get pregnant,” she explained. “I would’ve given anything if someone had said to me, ‘Freeze your eggs. Do yourself a favor.’ You just don’t think it. So here I am today. The ship has sailed.”

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Aniston has been a public eye for almost three decades, known first for her breakout role as Rachel Greene in Friends before she transitioned to film. The sitcom ran for 10 seasons and earned her five Emmy nominations. She became a tabloid “bump watch” staple and could never escape invasive, speculative and false headlines that hit a little too close to home.

“The narrative (was) that I was just selfish,” she added. “I just cared about my career. And God forbid a woman is successful and doesn’t have a child.”

Jennifer Aniston poses for a portrait during an NBC Press Tour Party. 

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Aniston was married to Brad Pitt for five years and Justin Theroux for three. Her nine-year relationship with the latter ended in 2018. A couple years prior, she penned a personal essay for the Huffington Post to put rumors to rest but also, more importantly, candidly share how the harassment by “aggressive photographers who will go to shocking lengths to obtain any kind of photo” made her feel.

“For the record, I am not pregnant,” The Morning Show star wrote. “What I am is fed up. I’m fed up with the sport-like scrutiny and body shaming that occurs daily under the guise of ‘journalism,’ the ‘First Amendment’ and ‘celebrity news.’”

Aniston, now 53, has moved past caring what people think and attempting to please. “I have zero regrets,” she said the interview in what is Allure’s last print edition. “I actually feel a little relief now because there is no more, ‘Can I? Maybe. Maybe. Maybe.’ I don’t have to think about that anymore.”

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The five-time Golden Globe winner knows that young girls and women everywhere see her as a symbol and example of stereotypical beauty standards. She knows, from years of experience in the spotlight, that tabloid practices can’t be changed. What can be adapted, however, is the way in which the public consumes the stories.

“The objectification and scrutiny we put women through is absurd and disturbing,” she continued. “The way I am portrayed by the media is simply a reflection of how we see and portray women in general, measured against some warped standard of beauty. Sometimes cultural standards just need a different perspective so we can see them for what they really are—a collective acceptance... a subconscious agreement. This past month in particular has illuminated for me how much we define a woman’s value based on her marital and maternal status.”

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