Michelle Obama Says Miscarriage Left Her Feeling “Lost and Alone”— Reveals She Used IVF to Conceive

Michelle Obama is opening up this week about her struggle with miscarriage and infertility prior to becoming a mother 20 years ago.

In an exclusive interview with “Good Morning America” host, Robin Roberts, the former first lady sheds light on a taboo topic that tends to carry a of stigma of failure.

“I felt like I failed because I didn’t know how common miscarriages were because we don’t talk about them,” Obama said. ”We sit in our own pain, thinking that somehow we’re broken.”

She added, “That’s one of the reasons why I think it’s important to talk to young mothers about the fact that miscarriages happen.”

History of Fertility Treatments

The 54-year-old said it wasn’t until she and Barack Obama underwent in vitro fertilization treatments that they were able to conceive daughters Sasha and Malia, now 17 and 20.

“The biological clock is real, because egg production is limited,” she said in excerpts from an ABC special set to air Sunday. “I realized that as I was 34 and 35, and we had to do IVF.”

The former first lady has widely been known for her advocacy of women and girls around the world. She decided to get candid about her miscarriage and journey to motherhood in her soon-to-be-released memoir, Becoming, in hopes that it would help other women who are in the same trenches.

“I think it’s the worst thing that we do to each other as women, not share the truth about our bodies and how they work,” Obama told Roberts, adding that she knows too many couples who have struggled and thought that somehow there’s something wrong with them.

Becoming Michelle Obama

In the book, which is set to hit shelves on November 13th, Obama gives a detailed and very intimate account of her life and all that has shaped her. Everything from her childhood on the South Side of Chicago, to her college years at Princeton, confronting racism, and becoming the country’s first black first lady.

“I was female, black and strong, which to certain people … translated only to ‘angry.’ It was another damaging cliché, one that’s been forever used to sweep minority women to the perimeter of every room. … I was now starting to actually feel a bit angry, which then made me feel worse, as if I were fulfilling some prophecy laid out for me by the haters.”

Obama also takes time in the memoir to talk about her deep love affair with hubby, Barack. She candidly shares that it’s not always sunshine and daisies, opening up about the first time the couple sought marriage counseling when their relationship was on the rocks.

Of course, an autobiography of a former first lady would not be complete without her take on politics, which Obama does not shy away from. However, she does add one note that serves as a reminder that first lady or not, she’s just like everyone else.

“I’ve never been a fan of politics, and my experience over the last 10 years has done little to change that. I continue to be put off by the nastiness.”

Michelle Obama’s advocacy for women permeates throughout her memoir, and her vulnerability in opening up about the intimate hurts of trying to have babies is one that SO many women can relate to.

You can see the full interview with Robin Roberts in the ABC exclusive primetime special, “Becoming Michelle: A First Lady’s Journey with Robin Roberts,” on Sunday, Nov. 11, at 9 p.m. ET.


Bri Lamm
Bri Lamm
Bri Lamm is the Editor of foreverymom.com. An outgoing introvert with a heart that beats for adventure, she lives to serve the Lord, experience the world, and eat macaroni and cheese all while capturing life’s greatest moments on one of her favorite cameras. Follow her on Facebook.

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