Jennylyn Mercado and Dennis Trillo reveal past plans to freeze eggs, attempt at surrogacy

Jennylyn Mercado and Dennis Trillo. Image: screengrab from YouTube/Jennylyn Mercado

Jennylyn Mercado and Dennis Trillo opened up on the procedures they went through to try to get pregnant, before finding out they are expecting their first child. Part of their initial plan was to freeze the actress’ eggs back in 2018.

The couple narrated their surrogacy journey in Mercado’s YouTube channel, in a vlog titled “The Surrogate” last Friday, Nov. 5. They explained why they changed their plan from egg freezing to surrogacy. Egg freezing is a procedure that allows a woman to get pregnant at a later date, according to non-profit medical center Mayo Clinic.

“Noong 2018, ang plano namin ni Dennis ay magpa-freeze lang ng eggs, ng specimen. Noong mga time na ‘yon, hindi pa rin ako handa talagang mag-carry ng baby,” Mercado recalled. “Pwede pa akong mag-trabaho.”

(Back in 2018, Dennis and I planned to freeze my eggs, specimen. At that time, I was really not ready to carry a baby. I could still work then.)

Trillo added that they tried egg freezing twice in the Philippines, but nothing came out of it.

“Parang sinabi sa ‘min na, ‘Hindi pa kayo ganoon ka-ready,’ kaya hindi siguro sa ‘min binigay ‘yon,” Mercado said. (It’s like we were told, “You’re not that ready yet,” so maybe that’s why it was not given to us.)

The couple’s friends suggested that the two try surrogacy, an arrangement where a woman agrees to give birth to a baby on behalf of another person. Mercado and Trillo began exploring this process in the United States, since it is yet to be legal in the Philippines.

The two went through checkups, ultrasounds and numerous injections in their attempt to have a baby via surrogacy. They also told fans that they were fortunate to have nurse friends since they were able to teach Trillo how to inject Mercado’s medication, which was given to her thrice a day.

“Imagine, three times a day, bugbog na bugbog na yung tiyan ko. Parang ayoko na ako yung gumawa kasi sakit na sakit na ako, so kailangan ibang tao na kasi hindi ko kaya itusok sa sarili ko,” Mercado recounted.

(Imagine, three times a day, my stomach was already beat up. It’s like I did not want to do it anymore because it was too painful, so another person had to do it because I could no longer inject it on myself.)

The couple also gave fans a glimpse of their announcement to family members, where they showed a sonogram of their baby.

Mercado and Trillo, confirmed they are expecting a baby in an exclusive interview with “24 Oras” last Oct. 29. They also got engaged last month.

The couple both have children from previous relationships. Trillo has a son with beauty queen Carlene Aguilar while Mercado has a son as well with actor Patrick Garcia. JB

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