A story of a housewife in her 50s, who has been making a desperate wish for a child through over 20 in vitro fertilization attempts over 7 years, moved the hearts of viewers. In the midst of her painful journey, facing hateful comments and family tragedies, Lee Sugeun and Seo Jang-hoon offered her deep empathy along with sharp yet warm advice.
On the broadcast of KBS Joy's 'Ask Us Anything Fortune Teller' aired on the 28th, 52-year-old Kang Seo-young shared her 7-year journey of in vitro fertilization attempts to have a child with her husband.
On that broadcast, Kang Seo-young, who got married at the age of 46, stated that despite the difficulties of having had a natural pregnancy but experiencing miscarriages, she did not give up on having a child. Kang Seo-young confessed that she attempted to retrieve eggs over 20 times in 7 years and had over 10 transfers after egg retrieval, shocking everyone.
Through these experiences, Kang Seo-young revealed that she felt "physically and mentally hurt" due to failures in egg retrieval. This long and painful in vitro fertilization process placed an enormous burden on her both physically and mentally.
During her difficult journey through infertility, what gave Kang Seo-young 'post-traumatic stress' was none other than the hateful comments on her IVF diary posted on social media. The comment, "Will the child make parents taste that pain when they die?" stabbed Kang Seo-young and led her to ponder, "I don't know if continuing in vitro fertilization is the right choice."
In particular, the family tragedies that have occurred over the past year have further troubled Kang Seo-young. In October of last year, her father was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, and her father-in-law passed away earlier this year. Recently, due to the deterioration of her father's health, she found herself in a situation where she had to provide direct caregiving, and the last IVF attempt, which she believed would be the end, also failed, delivering a great shock to her.
What did her husband do during this process? Kang Seo-young expressed that her husband does not show much emotion and thought, "Silence is a form of positivity, so I must read it that way," but mentioned her disappointment that he was silent during the time of the final failed procedure when she felt that she needed a single word of comfort from him.
In response, Lee Sugeun pointed out that the husband's aloofness was not an excuse, saying, "What a wife wants is warm comfort. Is he a foreigner? Can't he speak Korean? Being aloof is not an excuse; it's not just about letting galbi age, love needs aging too." Seo Jang-hoon also sincerely advised, "The desire for a child is strong between a couple, but I think it will become more difficult to endure IVF in the future. Medicine may have advanced, but my heart breaks for them. Personally, I hope they could live for happiness and the future after making this much effort." Lee Sugeun added, "There is happiness that children bring, but there is also happiness that a spouse brings. I hope they love each other and live happily together."
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