Kourtney Kardashian, 43, reveals struggle with IVF

Kourtney Kardashian is detailing her struggle with IVF as she attempts to have a child with her fiancé Travis Barker.

In episode two of The Kardashians, we see Kourtney at her Calabasas home as Kris comes to visit, asking how the doctor’s went, as Kourtney responds, ‘Awful.’

Kourtney reveals in confession that her and Travis want to have a baby, so their doctor took them ‘down this road of doing IVF, and it hasn’t been the most amazing experience.’

The reality star is mother to Mason, 12; Penelope, nine; and Reign, seven — with her former partner Scott Disick, whom she dated from 2005 until 2015. 

Kourtney says that people always say on social media that she is pregnant, revealing: ‘Every single person on social media is always like, Kourtney’s pregnant, Kourtney’s pregnant. Kourtney’s gained so much weight.

‘I’m like, it’s so rude to comment on people when you have no idea what they are actually going through.

‘The medication that they have been giving me, they put me into menopause, literally into menopause. 

She adds the medication ‘basically put me into depression’ adding in confession, ‘I think because I’m so clean and careful about what I put into my body, it’s just like having the complete opposite reaction and working as a contraceptive instead of helping us.’

‘I have everything in the world to be happy about. I just feel a little bit off and not like myself. Super moody and hormonal, like I am a lunatic half the time,’ Kourtney says. 

Kris says that she’s never seen Kourtney happier but the medication has put her into depression, as Kourtney says she is ‘super moody and hormonal.’ 

‘Even though Kourtney has three beautiful children, it doesn’t make it hurt any less if you’re trying to have a baby and you’ve been struggling.’

Kris reveals that she got pregnant in 1994 and had a miscarriage, ‘and my body completely shut down. I was moody and depressed, I was bloated, didn’t feel well, everything you described.’

Kourtney revealed they want a baby ‘so badly because we want to make something together,’ as Kris agrees, adding, ‘You want to bring your own baby, your own love, into the world, in the way you know how it feels to have a child, and now you want to do it with the love of your life.’

IVF is usually used by women or couples who are struggling to conceive naturally, and it involves the retrieval of eggs from the ovaries, which are then fertilized by sperm in a lab, before being transferred into the uterus.

Many women who are preparing to undergo IVF will be given one or more forms of fertility drug by their doctor, which are used to trigger the release of hormones that then stimulate egg production.

In 2008 one of the first studies into the long-term effects of follicle stimulation concluded that IVF ‘appears to have no lasting impact on the timing or symptoms of the menopause’, however, the research is yet to be cemented.

Kourtney didn’t clarify in the clip if she is still menopausal, or whether she was just experiencing menopause-like symptoms, which include irregular periods, hot flashes, chills, night sweats – and weight gain.

Fertility drugs have been known to cause symptoms that are very similar to those experienced during menopause, including hot flashes, weight gain, changes in mood, and bloating.

Typically, menopause occurs when a woman is between the ages of 40 and 55, and it is diagnosed after a person has gone 12 months without experiencing a menstrual cycle.

After menopause, a natural pregnancy is no longer possible, but IVF is still an option, and previously frozen eggs can still be implanted.

It’s not uncommon for women to gain weight during IVF treatments as hormone injections can affect your weight and also your hunger levels.

Kourtney previously snapped back at a rude fan in December of last year, when they asked if she had a ‘preg belly’ after she posted photos of herself in a pool with Travis.

‘Are we really going to do this every time I post a photo?’ the reality star replied.

Meanwhile, earlier in the episode, Kourtney is seen driving with Travis as they start looking at new homes together in Malibu.

Kourtney says in confession, ‘Travis and I currently live in separate homes a block away from each other and we just want to explore the idea of living in one home.’

‘We’re so in love with our homes right now and where we live that it’s gonna be hard to find something to beat that,’ she adds.

They both meet with their real estate agent Tomer at a home, which Tomer says is ‘one of the most important estates in Bel-Air.’

He says it was built in 1934, ‘for a really prominent family’ and it has a ‘pedigree look from the 1930s,’ as Kourtney adds this has ‘a really cool style’ that reminds her of ‘old Hollywood Frank Sinatra vibes.’

They both start picking out the rooms for their kids as Kourtney says she can envision them watching movies together.

Kourt goes through the closet and finds a pair of short-shorts as Travis dares her to try them on but she doesn’t.

Timer shows them the outdoor space as Travis sits down on a couch and Kourt gets on top of him, as Tomer takes a cue and leaves.

Kourt tells Travis that people were ‘pissed about the Disneyland video of me on you,’ adding that fans were wondering who was taking the video.

‘He’s our tour guide,’ Travis said with a laugh, as Kourtney says in confession, ‘Kissing and hugging is not a bad thing.

‘I’m actually grateful my kids can see a loving, affectionate relationship, because they haven’t seen that their whole lives,’ she said in confession.

Travis tells her that he thinks people have trouble, ‘understanding how two people can be so loving and affectionate… because they’re miserable.’

He also joked that, ‘Tomer gave up on us,’ as the realtor is seen hanging out inside.