The former ESPN reporter and current host of "Dancing With the Stars" has revealed that she is undergoing her seventh round of fertility treatment after struggling with infertility for years. In a powerful self-published essay, Andrews wrote about how she had struggled with infertility. She said: 'I was told I would never have children because my ovaries were too small.'
She posted an image of herself holding up two fingers - one representing each child she wanted to carry to term. Her first pregnancy ended when doctors discovered she suffered from endometriosis during early stages of gestation. After surgery, she underwent IVF treatments which resulted in twins.
The veteran sports broadcaster also opened up about her fertility struggles post-cervical cancer, saying: 'I am not ashamed', along with detailing the 'time-consuming and emotionally draining process' of in vitro fertilization (IVF).
The sportscaster has been going through these treatments since she was 35 while trying to conceive with her husband, former NHL player Jarret Stoll.
Andrews, who froze her eggs before she was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2016, explained that her body is 'stacked against' her now that she is 43.
In her essay, Andrews touched upon the 'mental and emotional toll' IVF takes on the body, saying you 'feel like s**t' and it might not even amount to anything.'
Andrew said she wants to 'be vocal and honest about this' because she is 'not ashamed' about trying to have a baby and expand her family.
The sportscaster further added that she was undergoing her seventh round of IVF in the hopes of conceiving a baby since, 'every cycle is different in a woman's body, so some months are better than others. When I heard this was the best time to go through another treatment, I had to figure it out all over again.'
'How am I going to juggle this treatment on top of my work schedule? I got so stressed out. When this happens, it really makes you question: is it the future of my family or is it my job?' Andrews explained that women in the sports industry often 'feel the need to keep things like this quiet,' but she noted that there are also 'so many other women who maybe put their careers on the back burner because they don't want to miss out on any opportunities.' She pointed out that it is 'so common that people are starting families late and put so many other aspects of their lives on hold.' For her seventh round of IVF, she decided to be open with her show producers that she would be coming to work 'a little later than normal' because of her daily fertility appointments and she is 'thankful' that she did.
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