[Sportschosun reporter Jung An-ji] Comedian Lee Hee-kyung candidly opened up about the long wait and worries she went through before finally conceiving naturally at the age of 43.
On the 30th, a video titled "'Can this really go out..?' Spicy talk among unfiltered expectant moms" was uploaded to Kim Seung-hye's YouTube channel.
In the video, Lee Hee-kyung, who is 24 weeks pregnant, said, "I got pregnant at 43. In the comedy world, isn't that like Han Ga-in?" and added that it was a "natural pregnancy."
She said, "I think it was about four years ago that I seriously started thinking I wanted to have a child. But it just didn't happen." She added, "Honestly, I wanted to start IVF as soon as possible. Once I passed 40, I felt anxious and thought it might never happen."
"My husband and I don't usually fight, but whenever I brought up IVF, we argued," she said. "He wouldn't even tell me why, and he refused to go to the hospital." She continued, "My husband wanted to conceive naturally. Of course, I wanted that too, but as time went on, I said, 'Let's go sooner, even if it's just a little.'"
Lee Hee-kyung also said she later learned why her husband had hesitated about IVF. She explained, "He had heard from a lot of people around him that it is very hard on women to go through IVF." She added, "No, I was saying I could handle it. I was the one who would be getting the injections. He just didn't want my body to hurt." She laughed as she recalled, "If he had explained it like that, it would have been fine. Instead, I thought there was something wrong with my husband."
In the end, in October last year, her husband suggested going to the hospital first. After tests were done, they decided to try conceiving naturally one more time.
Lee Hee-kyung said, "We tried to conceive naturally in January this year, but it didn't work." She continued, "In February, I went straight to get the injections. The doctor told me that at my age, the success rate was only 30 to 40 percent. Since the egg retrieval schedule overlapped with the holiday, I said, 'I'll try naturally one more time.'"
The long-awaited moment arrived unexpectedly. Lee Hee-kyung recalled the emotional moment, saying, "I didn't do anything, but the baby came. It was truly amazing."
She also shared what happened when she checked her pregnancy test. Lee Hee-kyung said, "There was a company dinner at the broadcaster, so I thought I probably wasn't pregnant. Before drinking, I took a test just in case, and it showed one line." She added, "So I said, 'I won't be able to drink from March because of IVF, so please let me enjoy tonight,' and I even drank makgeolli."
But when she got home and checked again, she was shocked to see two lines. Lee Hee-kyung said, "It was definitely one line in the morning, but by evening it had turned into two lines." She added, "I kept testing with the ones I had left, and they kept showing two lines. The very next day, I went to the hospital, had a blood test, and was told I was four weeks pregnant."
Lee Hee-kyung said, "I felt so sorry at that moment. I thought it was my mother's last drink." She expressed her guilt toward the baby growing in her womb.
anjee85@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
