Food Network Star Katie Lee Talks Infertility Struggle and Trying IVF: ‘It Is Really Hard to Put on a Happy Face’

Dealing with infertility isn’t easy, and TV personality Katie Lee wants her fans to know they’re not alone. After spends months trying to conceive following her September 2018 wedding, the Food Network star bravely opened up about the difficulties she and her husband, Ryan Biegel, have experienced while trying to get pregnant.

“When Ryan and I got married, our plan was to start a family right away. I couldn’t wait to get pregnant!” Katie, 37, penned in an emotional essay she recently shared to Instagram. “I naively thought it would be easy. I’m a healthy woman, I eat a balanced diet, exercise, I don’t smoke. Ryan is the same. But reproductive health is an entirely different ballgame.”

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I get multiple messages a day asking me if I’m pregnant or why I am not pregnant yet. I get comments saying I look like I’ve gained weight, so I must be pregnant. After one said that I looked “thick in the waist” I finally responded that it’s not ok to comment on a woman’s body and you never know what someone is going through. There is so much pressure on women to look a certain way and while most mean well with baby questions, it can be hurtful. Many of you sent me messages sharing your personal stories of fertility issues. You helped me, so now I want to share my story with you. When Ryan and I got married, our plan was to start a family right away. I couldn’t wait to get pregnant! I naively thought it would be easy. I’m a healthy woman, I eat a balanced diet, exercise, I don’t smoke. Ryan is the same. But reproductive health is an entirely different ballgame. We were trying, I had to have surgery to correct a problem, got an infection, then I was so run down I got shingles. My doctor advised us to try iVF. We just finished the intense process only to get zero healthy embryos. Not only is iVF physically exhausting, the emotional toll is unparalleled. We were filled with hope and excitement only to be crushed. It is really hard to put on a happy face. Fertility issues are supposed to be private so many of us are silently in pain. I hesitated to share this but I feel comfort when I hear others’ stories and I hope any of you in a similar situation know you are not alone. When people ask me when I’m getting pregnant, it hurts. It’s just a reminder that I’m not. When they say I look like I’ve gained weight, I have. I can’t exercise as much and the hormones have made me bloated. At church on Easter, the priest started his sermon with a story about a family struggling to have a baby and the happiness they are now experiencing that their prayers have been answered. He said it is a time of new beginnings. Tears streamed down my face. I know a family will happen for us, it is just going to be a different journey than we imagined. We will keep working towards it. Someday we will have our happy new beginning and I pray any of you experiencing the same will have yours too.

A post shared by Katie Lee (@katieleekitchen) on Apr 24, 2019 at 12:31pm PDT

The brunette beauty — who felt the need to open up about her infertility issues after receiving “multiple messages a day asking me if I’m pregnant or why I am not pregnant yet” — continued to explain the frustrating struggle of not being able to conceive a baby. “We were trying, I had to have surgery to correct a problem, got an infection, then I was so run down I got shingles.”

Katie, who was previously married to Billy Joel from 2004 to 2010, added that the situation was so grueling, her doctor even advised the couple to try in vitro fertilization, or IVF. “We just finished the intense process only to get zero healthy embryos,” she admitted. “Not only is IVF physically exhausting, the emotional toll is unparalleled. It is really hard to put on a happy face.”

Although her message is about her own personal struggles with infertility, The Kitchen star said the most important takeaway is that women shouldn’t be ashamed to open up and talk about the tough things in life. “Fertility issues are supposed to be private so many of us are silently in pain. I hesitated to share this but I feel comfort when I hear others’ stories and I hope any of you in a similar situation know you are not alone,” Katie wrote. “When people ask me when I’m getting pregnant, it hurts. It’s just a reminder that I’m not.”

Even though it hasn’t been an easy road, the Endless Summer Cookbook author said she is confident her and Ryan’s day will come. “I know a family will happen for us, it is just going to be a different journey than we imagined,” she said. “We will keep working towards it. Someday we will have our happy new beginning and I pray any of you experiencing the same will have yours too.”

What an inspiration!