Emma Barnett has opened up about her battle with endometriosis and how it led to a gruelling IVF journey before becoming a mother.
The former BBC Radio 4 Women’s Hour host, 39, shared her experience of the chronic gynaecological condition in an interview with the Sunday Times alongside her husband, Jeremy Weil.
Barnett revealed that she gave birth to a son in 2018 and a daughter last year after undergoing five rounds of IVF.
She said: “Jeremy is very family orientated and I knew he would be a great dad. It was my issue — endometriosis — that stopped us being able to conceive naturally.
“But he never made me feel it was my fault. He said, “It’s OK. We’ll have a different life.” I didn’t believe him. It took two and a half years to have our son via IVF in 2018 and another six attempts to conceive our daughter last year — we had embryos left so we just kept going.
“This part of our life is so joyous, but it’s also trench-like — we’re back at the beginning with an almost two-year-old, so having a project we can work on together is very rewarding.”
Endometriosis is where cells similar to those in the lining of the womb grow in other parts of the body.
It can result in period pain, fatigue and pain during sex.
The pair have been together since meeting in Nottingham in 2004 and described how she bonded with her husband-to-be on their first date and beyond in a sweet write up.
Weil described as well how the IVF had been from his side.
“She masks a lot and powers through,” he said. “But IVF was tough.
“I’m squeamish about injections. There is no way I could put a needle in my body and I could barely watch her doing them. She was black and blue.
“We were lucky, we got our son after one attempt, but it was a much longer journey for our daughter. Emma would be on her way to hospital appointments at five in the morning before going on air at ten. It was very important to her to keep going.”
Barnett presented Women’s Hour from 2021 to 2024 and joined the presenting team of the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, replacing Martha Kearney.
