Kourtney Kardashian responds to pregnancy speculation by discussing IVF effects

The reality star has been open about her fertility journey on ‘The Kardashians’

Kourtney Kardashian has dismissed pregnancy speculation once again by sharing the effects undergoing in vitro fertilisation (IVF) has had on her body.

The Poosh founder, 43, took to Instagram on 2 March to share behind-the-scenes photos from a recent campaign for her vitamin and supplement line, Lemme. In the since-deleted slideshow, Kardashian is seen wearing an all-yellow cropped cardigan and high-waisted pants while posing with the latest product from her vitamin brand.

However, one Instagram user asked in the comments section of the post: “Is she pregnant”

Kardashian decided to respond to the body-shamer by opening up about her IVF journey. "the after affects [sic] of IVF (I only acknowledge this comment bc I do think it’s important to know how IVF affects women’s bodies and it’s not spoken about much) ... also are we still asking women if they’re pregnant?” she commented, in a screenshot captured by Comments By Celebs.

Many fans praised the mother of three for her candid response.

“Having gone through IVF and all the body changes etc, it’s so upsetting when people ask if you’re pregnant when you’ve just gained weight from the fertility meds,” wrote one Instagram user. “I know a lot of people think it’s natural or ok to ask… but maybe we should make it not ok.”

“Amen. I believe the rule is unless you see a baby exiting a woman. Do not ask if she is pregnant,” said someone else.

“NO we are not still asking women if they’re pregnant, especially someone who is or has been openly going through IFV,” said a third user, while another wrote: “Normalise not commenting on people’s bodies, for any reason, ever.”

This isn’t the first time Kourtney Kardashian has been forced to shut down pregnancy speculation. The reality star, who documented her fertility journey with husband Travis Barker on season one of Hulu’s The Kardashians, responded to body-shamers last September after she posted pictures of herself posing in lingerie to Instagram.

In one of the images, Kardashian appeared to place her hand on her stomach, leading some followers to believe the hand placement was a subtle pregnancy announcement. “Wait a minute did I miss that she’s pregnant,” one user commented.

“Nope, but you’re missing a woman’s body,” Kardashian replied.

She denied pregnancy claims again in August 2021, when one Instagram user commented on her post: “SHE’S PREGNANT”

The Kardashians star replied: “I’m a woman with a BODY.”

Kourtney Kardashian and her husband, Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, have been open about their journey with infertility. Since before the pair were married in May 2022, Kardashian and Barker have been trying to have a baby.

During an episode of season one of The Kardashians, the entrepreneur was seen speaking to her mother, Kris Jenner, about all the complications surrounding her IVF journey. “Travis and I want to have a baby and so my doctor took us down this road of doing IVF and it hasn’t been the most amazing experience,” she explained.

“Every single person on social media is always like: ‘Kourtney’s pregnant, Kourtney’s pregnant, Kourtney’s gained so much weight,’” Kardashian continued. “I’m like, it’s so rude to comment on people when you have no idea what they’re actually going through.

“The medication that they’ve been giving me, they put me into menopause,” she added.

“Based off of what? A drug?” Jenner asked.

“Yes,” said Kardashian, before revealing that “the medication basically put me into depression.”

Since then, she has revealed that the couple have taken a break from IVF treatments. “We started an IVF journey, but I stopped. It was a lot. I took a break to just focus on our wedding and getting married,” Kardashian told WSJ Magazine in September 2022.

Kardashian and Barker were married in May last year during a lavish wedding ceremony in Portofino, Italy. The reality star shares three children with her former partner, Scott Disick – Mason, 13, Penelope, 10, and Reign, eight. Meanwhile, Barker shares two children with ex-wife Shanna Moakler – Landon, 19, and Alabama, 17 – and is the adoptive father of Moaker’s oldest daughter, Atiana De La Hoya.