It was brutal: Lisa Faulkner bravely discusses ectopic pregnancy and IVF battle

Actress, author and cook Lisa Faulkner has bravely reflected on her past attempts of trying to get pregnant, and the trauma she endured after suffering an ectopic pregnancy.

The 47-year-old also referenced her three rounds of IVF treatment which didn't work, and how lucky she feels to have her 12-year-old daughter Billie, who she adopted in 2007.

Billie was adopted by Lisa with fellow actor Chris Coghill, and the mum has said she's grateful for her infertility for Billie's sake. The actress wouldn't have adopted the youngster otherwise, which puts things in perspective for her.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Lisa Faulkner (@lisafaulknercooks) on

Lisa explained to The Sun on Sunday’s Fabulous magazine how she became “fixated” with becoming pregnant in her early 30s and was frustrated when difficulties arose. 

Her new book, Meant To Be, goes into detail about her struggle to get pregnant, going through an ectopic pregnancy, and ultimately failing to become pregnant through her IVF treatment rounds.

The TV star has said that coming to terms with her ectopic pregnancy was one of the hardest moments she went through.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Lisa Faulkner (@lisafaulknercooks) on

“When I was 31 we got pregnant and I thought that was what was meant to be. But we discovered it was an ectopic pregnancy at six weeks,” she said, candidly.

“It was brutal. Nobody explained to me that an ectopic pregnancy wasn’t viable," she added.

"I thought: ‘OK, it’s just growing in the wrong place, can you not move it?’ I thought they could do anything. In the end, they had to remove one of my Fallopian tubes,” she said.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Lisa Faulkner (@lisafaulknercooks) on

The actress tried three rounds of "expensive" IVF treatment, but despite the fact that it failed, she said it was worth the experience for the belief she felt.

Doctors told her to stop the treatment when the third attempt failed, which was a tough blow to face;

“I was devastated, but I knew he was the best I could go to. He was so very caring and he tried everything. There was probably a bit of relief as well,” she said.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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“After two years of IVF, it was full-on. I felt like a bloated, exhausted thing that walked around pretending everything was fine. I don’t think people realise how brutal IVF is and how much your body suffers,” she commented.

Lisa and Chris divorced in 2011 and now co-parent Billie. The pair maintain a "great" approach to raising their 12-year-old daughter.

The star became engaged to TV chef John Torode last Christmas after meeting on Celebrity Masterchef in 2010, with their first date in 2013.

Feature image: Instagram/@lisafaulknercooks

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