The woman with the honors is Katrina Scott, one-half of the wildly popular fitness empire Tone It Up. But what you may not know just by looking at the photos is that Scott’s journey to become a mom hasn’t been easy. After experiencing two miscarriages, Scott underwent IVF in an effort to bring a healthy pregnancy to term. There are about 4 million births per year that are a result of in vitro fertilization (IVF), accounting for between 1 and 2 percent of all births in the U.S. Many people have at least a vague idea of what IVF is (a Pew Research study found that 33 percent of Americans have undergone fertility treatment or know someone who has), but knowing what it’s actually like to experience it is a completely different level of understanding. In an effort to bring more awareness to what IVF is like, Scott has been transparent about her own experience on her personal website, Live Beautifully. Scott’s journey to becoming a mother has been emotional. A couple of years after giving birth to her daughter, Isabelle, Scott shared that she was diagnosed with secondary infertility, which is the inability to carry a baby to term after being able to give birth before. She also revealed that she experienced two miscarriages and a chemical pregnancy (a pregnancy loss that occurs before the fifth week of pregnancy) before starting IVF. “Between two pregnancies, I was pregnant for almost half of 2020. I was also pumped up on progesterone for five months and underwent two D&Cs,” Scott shared on her site, adding that it was the most traumatic year of her life. “There were some days that I wondered if I would feel ‘normal’ again or if our story would have a happy ending. What I didn’t realize, it was just the beginning of our journey. And we’re still on it today.”
When did Scott go through IVF and did it work?
After her traumatic 2020, Scott and her husband met with their doctor to discuss IVF. Scott and her husband shared videos and photos of the IVF process, including the hormone shots (and the swelling and bruising it resulted in) as well as the egg retrieval process. “Once everything looked good to go, we went in for our egg retrieval. I was so nervous, but excited,” Scott shared on her site. “I literally looked pregnant and felt like a hen holding all of her eggs. It’s the heaviest feeling in your pelvis. BTW, between your follicles being so large and all of the swelling, it’s also totally normal to waddle.” After five days and undergoing genetic testing, Scott says that under 20 percent of the eggs that were retrieved went on to become healthy embryos. Though it was just a small percentage, it was enough; in January 2022, Scott announced that she was five months pregnant, due on May 28.
What has pregnancy been like for Scott after IVF?
Scott hasn’t given many updates during her pregnancy, but she did share some happy photos of her family during spring break, their last vacation as a family of three. That doesn’t mean her pregnancy has been stress-free. [“Experiencing a miscarriage] does rob you of that blissful joy,” she told Fox News. “You’re just cautiously making your way through every week.” Scott is now only a few weeks from her due date and will soon be a mom of two. “In this issue, I hope to represent all the women out there that are creating life, feeling all the feels, and embracing change as they look to the future, especially those having difficult fertility journeys. I am with you, and you are never alone,” she shared on Instagram, of being featured in Sports Illustrated. “Our bodies and minds are capable of extraordinary things, and as for me, I’m all about gracefully bouncing forward." Next up, here’s everything you need to know about fertility coaches including when they can be helpful.
