Alex Gonzaga. Image: Screengrab from YouTube/Toni Gonzaga Studio
Alex Gonzaga revealed that she suffered another miscarriage last October when she and her husband, Lipa City councilor Mikee Morada tried to get her pregnant via in-vitro fertilization (IVF).
According to Mayo Clinic, an IVF is a procedure where a man’s sperm is implanted in a woman’s egg cell in a laboratory dish which eventually leads to pregnancy.
In an interview with her sister Toni and uploaded on the actress-host’s YouTube channel on Sunday, Nov. 5, Gonzaga said that despite what she had been going through emotionally, her faith in the Lord remained “stronger than [her] pain.”
Gonzaga told her sister that they decided to try IVF because she was under so much pressure to have a child, so she tried to pass on that pressure to God, as she admitted that she didn’t want to “waste [her] time” in conceiving a child.
She her decision was prompted by an experience that former United States First Lady Michelle Obama went through. Obama, like her, also had a miscarriage before giving birth via IVF.
“Basta nakita ko sinabi niya (Obama) na nagkaroon siya ng miscarriage then after two years, hindi sila makapag conceive ni Barack [Obama], so sabi niya mag-IVF siya. So by 34, nag-conceive siya then at 36. Through IVF pareho ‘yun,” she further added.
(I decided to undergo IVF after seeing the story of Michelle Obama. She suffered a miscarriage then after two years, she and her husband Barack Obama couldn’t conceive which made her decide to go through IVF. She eventually conceived at 34, then at 36 through IVF.)
Gonzaga said when the procedure failed, she said sorry to her husband, who was very supportive of her all throughout.
“I was so pressured na. Pagkatapos sabi ko kay Mikee, ‘Mike, sorry.’ Sabi niya, ‘Bakit ka nagso-sorry? Ang dami pa nating embryo. Go lang (I’m so pressured already. Then I told Mikee, ‘Mike, I’m sorry.’ He said, ‘Why are you saying sorry? We still have a lot of embryos. It’s okay),’” she recalled.
“Very supportive siya talaga pero hindi niya pinapakita ang mga emotions. Pinaramdam niya [sa’kin] na siya ang partner na hindi ipaparamdam sa’yo na kasalanan mo (He’s very supportive in a sense that he doesn’t show his emotions. He made me feel that it’s not my fault),” she added.
Gonzaga hinted of her miscarriage in her Instagram post last October 7.
Toni also looked back at the time when Gonzaga was being teased about being the next one to get pregnant during the baby shower prior to the birth of the former’s daughter, Paulina Celestine. The actress-host, however, noted that she couldn’t help but “notice” how her younger sister was already feeling pressure at the time.
“The night before [the hospital visit], kinakausap ko si Lord. Ginawa niya akong pregnant ulit for a reason, so pray ako nang pray. Minsan natatakot akong gumising nang umaga… pero habang naliligo ako, kinausap ako ni Lord na parang, ‘Why are you in a rush to be pregnant?’ Tapos naiyak ako. Kasi nape-pressure ako sa mga tao,” Alex added.
(The night before the hospital visit, I talked to the Lord. He made me pregnant again for a reason so I kept on praying. Sometimes, it came to the point where I was scared to wake up. But while taking a bath, I felt the Lord asking me why I was in a rush to be pregnant. Then I cried. Because I was really pressured by other people.)
IVF mothers
Meanwhile, the actress-vlogger then expressed her admiration for mothers who undergo IVF procedure to get pregnant, saying they deserve more respect because of the hardships that they go through to just to conceive.
“Kapag [na-conceive] kayo ng IVF, mahalin niyo ang nanay niyo. Kasi dito makikita ang hardship at ang daming pinagdaanan para lang mabuo ka. Grabe ang respect ko sa mga nanay sa pinagdaanan niyo (If you’re conceived through IVF, love your moms because they went through so many hardships just to bring you into the world. I have so much respect for mothers who had been through the same thing),” she said.
While looking back at her second miscarriage, Alex said it made her realize that everything happened for a reason, and that God “always comforts the brokenhearted.”
“Huwag kayong magagalit kay Lord because may reason talaga. Always pray na ma-comfort ka niya. God always comforts the brokenhearted. Tapos kapag may bad news, sabihin niyo, ‘Lord, be with me. Yakapin niyo ko the whole time para hindi ako masaktan at para hindi ako madurog.’ Sasamahan ka talaga niya,” she said.
(Don’t get angry at the Lord because it happens for a reason. Always pray that God will comfort you. God always comforts the brokenhearted. And if bad news happens, tell him, “Lord, be with me. Embrace me the whole time so I wouldn’t be hurt and crushed even more.” He will be with you.)
Alex, who wed Morada in January 2020, suffered from her first miscarriage after having a blighted ovum in October 2021.
The “Tropang LOL” host previously spoke about her desire to have children of her own in August 2023 after visiting her older sister and niece.