Giuliana Rancic's hopes of becoming a biological parent for a second time may have ended with her surrogate's recent miscarriage.
Although the TV personality and her husband Bill celebrated the birth of their son Duke via surrogate in August 2012, Giuliana's three remaining embryos were lost in two subsequent miscarriages, the most recent of which the couple learned about Dec. 31.
“It was painful,” Giuliana told People magazine in an exclusive interview posted online Wednesday. “We were so optimistic with this last embryo. We thought, ‘This is definitely going to work. This is our last shot.’”
Earlier in 2014, their surrogate miscarried the other two embryos a few weeks after they were implanted. But Giuliana called the more recent miscarriage the "toughest blow," adding, "It was a really hard time."
The couple is exploring other options, including adoption.
“I think adoption is a beautiful gift you're giving each other," she told People. "And it's funny, I'm even more open to [adoption] than I was before. Because I think to myself, 'I love Duke so much, if I couldn't take care of him, I hope there would be someone else who would love him.'"
A breast cancer survivor whose medication may pose pregnancy risks, the entertainment host has been candid about her infertility struggles in interviews and on the E! reality show, "Giuliana & Bill." When Duke made his TV debut on TODAY in July 2013, Giuliana called the boy a "miracle" at the end of what had been a difficult process.
"We didn't know … if we were even going to put him on the [reality] show," she said at the time. "But we felt like people have been through this major journey with us, through infertility and the breast cancer, and then to say, 'You know what? You can't meet our baby.' … It just felt wrong."
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Giuliana Rancic's journey toward parenthood, particularly her struggles with infertility and the use of surrogacy, touches upon several significant concepts and experiences. Let's break down the key elements mentioned in the article:
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Surrogacy: This is the practice where a woman carries a child for another individual or couple, either using their own eggs or, in this case, the embryos of Giuliana Rancic and her husband, Bill. The embryos were implanted in a surrogate, who unfortunately experienced miscarriages, leading to the loss of the embryos.
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Miscarriage: Giuliana and Bill faced the devastating loss of their embryos due to miscarriages. A miscarriage is the spontaneous loss of a pregnancy before the 20th week.
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Infertility: Giuliana Rancic has been vocal about her struggles with infertility, which led her to explore alternative methods like surrogacy and adoption to fulfill her desire to become a parent. Infertility refers to the inability to conceive after a year of unprotected intercourse or the inability to carry a pregnancy to term.
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Adoption: The couple is considering adoption as an alternative path to parenthood. Adoption involves legally taking on the responsibility of raising a child who is not biologically related to the adoptive parents.
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Breast Cancer Survivor: Giuliana Rancic battled breast cancer, which might have impacted her ability to conceive naturally due to potential risks associated with her medication. Certain cancer treatments can affect fertility.
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Reality Show: The couple documented their fertility struggles and parenthood journey on the reality show "Giuliana & Bill," allowing viewers to witness their challenges and triumphs.
Each of these concepts—surrogacy, miscarriage, infertility, adoption, cancer's impact on fertility, and reality show portrayal—plays a pivotal role in Giuliana Rancic's pursuit of expanding her family and highlights the emotional and physical challenges they faced along the way.
