Tamron Hall is kicking off her new daytime show, Tamron Hall, with some deep and personal conversations. In fact, the next episode’s topic, on Monday, is one that’s near and dear to her heart: IVF.
The new mom, who welcomed her son Moses in April, has recently opened about her struggles with getting pregnant, sharing that she underwent a long fertility journey. Not only will she discuss her own experience on Monday’s show but she’ll be talking to Real Housewives Kenya Moore and Gretchen Rossi about their IVF journeys, too. Fertility doctors will also discuss the latest in IVF advancements and technology.
SheKnows talked with Tamron to get a sneak preview of what to expect on the show…
SheKnows: This next episode, you’re talking about IVF, which is something near and dear to your heart. What can we expect in this conversation?
Tamron Hall: This is a conversation going back to the pilot of Tamron Hall, which we shot a little over a year ago. We did a segment for the pilot, where we talked about IVF and we had Gabrielle Union as a guest. I told her how her book We’re Going to Need More Wine kept me going in the dark days of my IVF journey. At the time, I said, “If this show’s picked up, I want to do an entire show dedicated to IVF.”
I always have things in mind and I look for signs in everything. I was traveling, promoting the show. I think we went to 28 cities. People kept coming up to me, unsolicited and telling me about their own IVF journeys because they’d heard I’d been through IVF. We read about it in magazine articles and books and on blogs, but not really on TV. I saw this as a sign.
We’re having a really layered conversation about it. We’re having Kenya Moore and Gretchen Rossi talk about their experiences and my own experience and we’re talking to doctors and people in the audience. Because there are many different experiences. I know through my own experiences of my many failed rounds that it does not always have a happy ending. Not everyone has the same access to IVF or to specialty pharmacists.
SK: You and Kenya Moore and Gretchen Rossi are sharing your own celebrations and struggles with IVF. Why do you think this is such an important conversation for women to have?
TH: So you know you’re not alone. That’s a big part of everything in life. There’s a stigma that relates to IVF and infertility, that people feel if they share it they will be judged or stereotyped. It’s important to take topics like that and break them down. A show like ours has the unique ability to do that. With great producers, we’re able to put this all this together. I think this is an extension of what we said we should do when we started the show. We all know people who’ve been through IVF and we’re giving them a voice.
SK: Was it hard to talk to your friends and family members when you were going through your own IVF journey?
TH: What’s hard is when you tell people and it fails they’re on that tangential journey with you. It’s a long process — it’s not like you get blood work and the next day you have answers — and friends who know ask, “How did it go this time?” And when a round doesn’t work and you’re mourning, friends who love you will have to mourn as well. So for that reason, my husband and I decided to keep it private. To watch a family member cry with you, it adds to pressure and adds to sadness and by keeping it private, it’s a way of insulating your heart.
SK: What do you wish you would have known about IVF that you know now?
TH: There’s so much. There were mornings I’d get in a car at 6 a.m to get blood work done and my husband was ready and willing to go with me but I said, “I got this.” And then halfway through the trip in the Uber, I’d be crying by myself, even though I said I’d be fine. It starts to seep into your mind and you have weak moments, and that was jarring to me. That’s why I wanted to double down on that feeling that you’re not alone.
SK: Doctors are going to talk about IVF on the show too. Can you give us a little preview of that?
TH: The thing I’m most excited about is that the doctors are going to take questions from the audience live on the show. I really wanted to have them discuss what is available now vs. what was available 10 years ago. It’s all going to happen live, so I don’t know yet what they’re going to say! I really wanted people to ask questions to experts and have experts answer them.
SK: What advice do you have for women going through the IVF process?
TH: Just remember, everyone’s body is different. Don’t compare yourself to someone else’s results. I know that’s hard. I have a friend who’s going through the first stages of it and I recommended a doctor, but I try to avoid sharing specifics of what I did because everyone’s different.
Find a team of doctors you’re comfortable with that will answer your most paranoid questions — you will have them. That, to me, is a sign of a good team. I went into a couple of places in the beginning. They weren’t explaining things in a way that felt right to me. Find what fits you and your needs. Don’t feel that because your friends went to those doctors, that you have to go to those doctors. You have to find that right balance for you. It’s okay to say, “Thanks for referral. But it wasn’t for me.”
SK: We heard we’re going to get to see Moses on the episode. What a cutie! Why did you want to have him there?
TH: Yes, it’s my birthday and so he’s stopping by. That’s always a balance, as well. You’re in the public eye and want to share this joy, but we talk about this all the time and the question of how much do you share. My journey is about more than celebrity; this is affecting millions of parents-to-be. This is a family conversation. This does not have geography, it’s not a northern or southern thing, or a black or white thing. It’s not even a male or female thing — often it’s the man who’s having fertility trouble. It’s a layered topic. And it doesn’t always work out. I wish this would have a 100-percent success rate but that’s not reality.
The most important thing is that we’re learning about it about; learning through others and recognizing that it’s a real conversation that’s happening every day. And I’m proud to bring it to daytime.
For times and channels go to www.TamronHallShow.com.
This interview was edited for clarity and length.
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