Olivia Munn recently discussed her choice to freeze her eggs, aiming to grow her family with husband John Mulaney.
The 43-year-old X-Men actress, who shares a two-year-old son named Malcolm with Mulaney, explained that they decided to undergo the procedure after her breast cancer diagnosis, as chemotherapy and radiation can impact fertility.
“After my diagnosis, we decided to try one more round of egg retrievals and hoped it was a good month,” she told Vogue on Mother’s Day, revealing that she had attempted the procedure three times at ages 33, 39, and most recently, 42.
“John and I talked about it a lot. We don’t feel like we’re done growing our family, but we didn’t know if I would have to do chemotherapy or radiation,” she added.
The doctors retrieved seven eggs, but Olivia noted that the viability was uncertain, as only about one in ten eggs typically result in a healthy embryo for women in her age group.
“All we could do was wait and see if any of them would successfully develop into a healthy embryo,” she said.
“A few hours later, we got the call from my doctor. He shared that we had two healthy embryos,” Olivia recalled. “John and I just started crying. It was so exciting because not only did we get it in one retrieval, but it also meant that I didn’t have to keep putting myself at risk. It was amazing.”
Given her inability to carry a baby, Munn expressed that surrogacy might be their path forward.
“I don’t have the ability to carry a baby anymore, so if we want to build our family, this is our option,” she explained.
In the interview, Olivia also shared that she had undergone a full hysterectomy as part of her cancer treatment, just two months after revealing she had a double mastectomy.
“I had a full hysterectomy. I took out my uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries,” she said, describing it as a significant but necessary decision to ensure she could be present for her family.
She mentioned choosing the hysterectomy over anti-hormone medications that would have left her bedridden.
“I had one real moment of panic, a real breakdown. It’s so strange when you’ve been with this body your entire life, had your period for so long, feel when you’re ovulating, and all of a sudden it’s gone.”
A hysterectomy is a surgical procedure to remove a woman’s uterus, often performed to treat or prevent various health conditions. Sometimes, the ovaries and fallopian tubes are also removed if they are damaged or at serious risk.
Olivia was diagnosed with breast cancer in April last year, just two months after she and her sister Sara tested negative for a genetic analysis checking 90 cancer-related genes.
“We called each other and high-fived over the phone. The same winter, I had a negative mammogram,” she revealed in March this year. “In the past ten months, I have had four surgeries, countless days in bed, and have learned more about cancer, treatment, and hormones than I ever imagined.”
“Two months later, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. The biopsy showed I had Luminal B cancer in both breasts, which is aggressive and fast-moving. Thirty days after that biopsy, I had a double mastectomy. I went from feeling completely fine one day to waking up in a hospital bed after a 10-hour surgery the next.”
Despite her recent surgeries, the former Daily Show correspondent faced another challenge when she sprained her ankle, sharing the news humorously on Instagram.
“I sprained my ankle jumping out of a plane today. And by plane, I mean I tripped in a CVS parking lot,” she quipped, posting a video of herself in a black ankle brace.
Olivia Munn opened up about her decision to freeze her eggs in hopes of expanding her family with husband John Mulaney.
The X-Men actress, 43, revealed that she and her comedian partner, 41 — who share two-year-old son Malcom — underwent the procedure following her breast cancer diagnosis as chemotherapy and radiation can affect a person’s fertility.
‘After my diagnosis, we decided to try one more round of egg retrievals and hoped it was a good month,’ she told Vogue on Mother’s Day, after revealing she tried the procedure on three different occasions — when she was 33, 39 and most recently 42.
John and I talked about it a lot and we don’t feel like we’re done growing our family, but didn’t know if I would have to do chemotherapy or radiation,’ she added.
Ultimately, doctors retrieved seven eggs from the procedure, though their viability was questioned, as Olivia shared that only about one in 10 eggs typically yield a healthy embryo for women in her age range.
At the time, all Olivia and John could do was wait and see if any of them would successfully develop into a healthy embryo.
‘A few hours later, we got the call from my doctor. He shared that we had two healthy embryos,’ the actress recalled.
‘John and I just started crying. It was just so exciting because not only did we get it in one retrieval, but it also meant that I didn’t have to keep putting myself at risk. It was just amazing.’
Regarding her embryos, Munn expressed her inclination towards pursuing the surrogacy option in the future.
‘I don’t have the ability to carry a baby anymore, so if we want to build our family, this is our option,’ she explained.
In the same interview, Olivia revealed she had a ‘full hysterectomy’ in her ongoing cancer fight, just two months after revealing she had a double mastectomy.
The actress said she underwent the fifth surgery of her breast cancer battle last month in a bid to see more of her two-year-old son’s childhood.
‘I have now had a full hysterectomy. I took out my uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries,’ she said.
‘Doing a full hysterectomy was a big decision to make, but it was the best decision for me because I needed to be present for my family.’
The Newsroom star said she took the decision after being given a choice between the hysterectomy and taking anti-hormone medicines that would have left her bedridden.
‘I did have one real moment of panic,’ she said.
‘A real breakdown. Because it’s just so strange when you’ve been with this body your entire life, had your period for so long, feel when you’re ovulating, and all of a sudden it’s gone.’
A hysterectomy is a surgical procedure to remove a woman’s uterus to treat a range of health conditions.
In some cases, doctors may suggest a hysterectomy as a preventative measure if a woman has significant warning or early signs of developing one or more of these conditions.
When necessary, surgeons may also remove the ovaries and fallopian tubes, if these have also been damaged or are at serious risk of damage.
Munn was diagnosed in April last year, just two months after she and her sister Sara tested negative after a genetic analysis that checks for 90 genes associated with cancer.
‘We called each other and high-fived over the phone. The same winter I also had a negative mammogram,’ she revealed in March this year.
‘In the past ten months I have had four surgeries, so many days spent in bed I can’t even count and have learned more about cancer, cancer treatment and hormones than I could ever have imagined.’
‘Two months later I was diagnosed with breast cancer,’ she revealed.
‘The biopsy showed I had Luminal B cancer in both breasts. Luminal B is an aggressive, fast moving cancer.
‘Thirty days after that biopsy I had a double mastectomy.
‘I went from feeling completely fine one day, to waking up in a hospital bed after a 10-hour surgery the next.’
The former Daily Show correspondent was up on her feet for just a few weeks after her latest operation before spraining her ankle, she revealed on Instagram last week.
She shared a brief video of her in light blue short shorts and and a matching shirt, with a black brace on her left ankle.
The video – set to the Curb Your Enthusiasm theme – shows her zooming in on her ankle, first teasing that she suffered the injury in a much more serious way.
‘I sprained my ankle jumping out of a plane today. And by plane I mean I tripped in a CVS parking lot,’ she told her followers.
