Speak up about IVF struggles to break the taboo, says Kim Raymond

SHAH ALAM – Malaysian model Kim Raymond who has over 100,000 followers on Instagram has been public about her IVF journey for a few years, hoping the society breaks the stigma on the process as well as the struggle of conceiving.

When her story was made public, Kim said her followers started messaging her in private to get more details or share experiences of their struggles.

“A lot of women private messaged me, to ask how I felt about it and what I have to go through.

“It is kind of taboo in a way because I think they feel nervous about it, and they are not sure how their husbands would feel about it,” she said.

Kim had tried to conceive naturally for two years to no avail.

She was later diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), one of the most common causes of infertility among women.

The symptoms made it hard for those diagnosed with it to conceive naturally.

She then decided to seek professional treatment on other options to conceive and decided to go through with the IVF procedure, where she got pregnant on her first try.

“It was a risky pregnancy for me that I did not know about and I had to give birth to a premature baby due to the condition of my womb.

“That is why I decided to share my story with the public,” she said.

Kim said she felt that more people should speak up about the causes of infertilities and IVF journeys as they were not alone and it should not be a taboo subject.

In the spirit of women supporting women, Kim believes people should stop judging others and be more present.

“Just be there. Just say ‘I'll be here if you need to talk’ and be more empathetic towards one another,” she said.

Kim shared her experience on Sinar Daily’s talkshow, Relatable, titled “The Struggles of Conceiving,” where she shared the stage with fertility consultant Dr Natasha Ain Mohd Nor and entrepreneur Hazwani Mohd.