Seo Dong-ju, a 43-year-old U.S.-licensed attorney and broadcaster, opened up about the guilt and her shifted perspective after undergoing IVF treatments for three years.
On the 15th, a video titled "From Preparing for Pregnancy to Seo Letting Go of Guilt" was released on Seo Dong-ju's YouTube channel.
In the video, Seo stated that she had experienced two consecutive empty follicles (empty follicles without an egg), saying, "I missed my ovulation during the Chuseok holiday because I couldn't go to the hospital. I asked the hospital for artificial insemination, but they said it wasn't possible. They suggested trying natural conception instead."
Seo said she had also changed her eating habits after starting IVF treatments. She noted, "I used to drink a lot of carbonated beverages, but now I drink almost only water from the purifier," adding, "I am trying to cut out such things more thoroughly because I think that is how I earn the qualification to have a child."
It was reported that her husband has also changed his diet by giving up bread and chicken. Seo explained, "They say that in cases like mine with severe diminished ovarian reserve (DOR), the quality of my husband's sperm greatly affects the quality of the embryo," noting that he is also making efforts to manage his health.
Seo, who is now approaching her fourth year of IVF treatments, said she received a lot of encouragement from netizens not to blame herself after revealing the treatment process.
She confessed, "I have been living a chaotic life where I couldn't sleep well and ate everything bad for my body, like coffee and flour-based foods, so how could I not feel intense guilt?" She added, "I still feel it now. If I had quit coffee three years ago and slept well, I might be pregnant by now."
She continued, "Once you start feeling guilty like this, there is no end to it. Then you come to hate yourself," stating, "Instead of blaming myself or feeling guilty, I think I should use that time to find something else I can do, even if it's just one thing."
She added, "It's a thought that has recently occurred to me: there is nothing lacking in my life right now. Whether I have a child or not, I am already a sufficiently happy and valuable person," noting, "I am sad every time things don't work out, but I am trying not to be too obsessed or attached."
Meanwhile, Seo is the daughter of the late Seo Se-won and broadcaster Seo Jung-hee. She remarried last June to an entertainment industry professional who is four years her junior.
in ENTERTAINMENT
