Kourtney Kardashian Gets Her Energy Back Following Grueling IVF Journey
Kourtney Kardashian's IVF story didn't have a happy ending. "The Kardashians" star hoped that she and her husband, Blink-182 member Travis Barker, could expand their family using the in vitro fertilization process, but in a September interview with WSJ Magazine, the mother of three revealed that she had decided to halt her fertility treatments. "It was a lot. I took a break to just focus on our wedding and getting married," she stated.
A month later, the 43-year-old reality star explained that her own online research into getting pregnant over age 40 is what led her to try in vitro fertilization. On the "Not Skinny But Not Fat" podcast, she revealed that she kept seeing recommendations for women in her age group to start IVF as soon as possible, saying, "I felt a little bit pushed." But the process took a toll on Kardashian both physically and mentally. Her IVF journey was filmed for her Hulu reality series "The Kardashians," and she didn't sugarcoat her experience. "I just feel a little bit off and not like myself. Super moody and hormonal, like I am a lunatic half the time," she said, per the Mirror. She also told podcast host Amanda Hirsch that her fertility medication severely sapped her energy.
It's taken a long time for Kardashian to finally start feeling like her old self again, but now she's building her depleted energy levels back up and sharing an inspirational message with other women in the same boat.
Kourtney Kardashian expends some of her newfound energy at the gym
On December 9, Kourtney Kardashian shared a photo of her view at the gym on her Instagram Story. She was on a treadmill, and according to the machine's display, she'd traveled a distance of three miles in under 32 minutes. "Finally started getting my energy back 10 months after IVF, for anyone else going through it, it gets better!" she wrote. According to her Poosh website, Kardashian doesn't always simply jog when she hops on a treadmill — sometimes she walks backwards while holding a kettlebell or performs moves like the side steps shuffle. However, she may have to wait for her energy levels to further increase before increasing the intensity of her workouts.
On the "Not Skinny But Not Fat" podcast, Kardashian said that her lack of energy was caused by changes to her hormones, thyroid, and adrenals. Fertility specialist Courtney Marsh, M.D., explained how fertility drugs function to Forbes Health, saying, "[They] send feedback to the brain to release more hormones which stimulate the ovary." In addition to mood changes and fatigue, side effects can include bloating and nausea.
According to Kardashian, she's made peace with her decision to stop her IVF treatments, but she and Travis Barker haven't given up on having a baby yet. "I feel truly like if it's meant to be that we will be blessed," she said on the podcast. "We say prayers and hope that God blesses us with the baby."