March 14, 2024

Kristen Wiig recalls 'struggle' with IVF journey before having her twins

WATCH: Kristen Wiig opens up about her struggle with IVF

Kristen Wiig opened up about her experience with in-vitro fertilization, a process she underwent before turning to surrogate to welcome her now 4-year-old twins — Shiloh and Luna — whom she shares with husband Avi Rothman.

While speaking to The Hollywood Reporter in an interview published on Thursday, the comedian and actress recalled her journey with IVF, sharing, "It was such a struggle."

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Kristen Wiig, and Avi Rothman attend the American Museum of Natural History's 2016 Museum Gala at American Museum of Natural History, Nov. 17, 2016, in New York.

She continued, "When you go through it, you meet other people who are going through it, and it's almost like this secret little — the whispering conversation at a party."

Wiig, 50, said she felt that the conversation surrounding the topic should be discussed more openly.

"It feels like not a lot of people talk about it," she said. "It is such a private thing, but maybe it doesn't have to be. It's part of my story and part of how I got my amazing family."

MORE: Kristen Wiig gushes about being a mom: 'It's frickin' awesome'

In the IVF process, eggs are removed from a woman's ovaries during egg retrieval and fertilized in a lab to make an embryo or embryos, according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. One or more resulting embryos are eventually transferred back into the uterus to hopefully grow to a full-term pregnancy and live birth.

In 2020, the "Bridesmaids" star revealed to InStyle that she and Rothman spent three years going through IVF treatments.

"Emotionally, spiritually, and medically, it was probably the most difficult time in my life," she told the publication at the time. "I wasn't myself. There are so many emotions that go with it — you're always waiting by the phone and getting test results, and it was just bad news after bad news. Occasionally there would be a good month, but then it was just more bad news. There was a lot of stress and heartache."

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Kristen Wiig at the 81st Golden Globe Awards, Jan. 7, 2024, in Beverly Hills, Calif.
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Shortly after becoming a mom, Wiig gushed over motherhood during an interview with "Entertainment Tonight" in 2020.

"It's the best," said Wiig at the time. "I know everyone always says that, and everyone says, like, it changes how you look at the world ... and all of that stuff is so true."

"Just having these two other little beings that I get to take care of is so amazing and, even though it's hard, I feel more relaxed in a way," she added.