Jennifer Aniston Opens Up About Her Journey With IVF

Jennifer Aniston recently opened up about her "challenging" journey with in vitro fertilization (IVF) in a new interview with Allure. For the first time, Aniston, 53, opened up about the pregnancy and baby bump rumors that plagued her career, revealing that she struggled with infertility and had undergone IVF treatments for several years in her late 30s and 40s. According to Cleveland Clinic, IVF is a type of assisted reproductive technology that involves fertilizing an egg outside of the body before implanting the embryo in a person's uterus.

In the interview, the actress told Allure that she went through some "really hard" experiences while trying to get pregnant that no one ever knew about. "It was a challenging road for me, the baby-making road," the "Friends" star said. "It was really hard. I was going through IVF, drinking Chinese teas, you name it. I was throwing everything at it." Looking back on it, Aniston says she has "no regrets," although she "would've given everything" if someone had told her to freeze her eggs at the time.

Now that the "ship has sailed," however, Aniston says she feels a little relieved, adding that she at least doesn't have to worry about whether or not she can get pregnant anymore. When she was still undergoing IVF, she was the frequent target of pregnancy-related media speculation. Tabloids constantly accused her of having a baby bump while also criticizing her for not having any kids (via Today).

According to Aniston, this only added to her personal pain in her struggle to become pregnant — especially when many critics called her "selfish" because they assumed she didn't want children and only cared about her career. Now, however, Aniston is grateful for the hardships she has had to endure, adding that it has made her stronger and less fearful (via USA Today). "I've spent so many years protecting my story about IVF. I'm so protective of these parts because I feel like there's so little that I get to keep to myself," Aniston told Allure. "The [world] creates narratives that aren't true, so I might as well tell the truth. I don't have anything to hide."