Emmy Rossum, 39, recently appeared on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast, where she candidly discussed her fertility struggles and her path to motherhood with husband, producer Sam Esmail. The couple are parents to two children: a daughter born in May 2021 and a son born two years later.
Rossum revealed that she has PCOS (Polyendocrine Metabolic Ovarian Syndrome), formerly known as Polycystic ovary syndrome, which caused debilitating ovarian cysts throughout her twenties. She explained that her journey to conceive involved trying natural methods and IUI, neither of which were successful. Ultimately, she turned to IVF.
"And tried to get pregnant naturally. It didn't happen. Tried IUI, didn't happen, and then tried IVF, and it happened in a big way," Rossum recalled. She described herself as a "super responder" after undergoing an egg harvest, from which 72 eggs were retrieved. Rossum noted that this process had been a "long journey" before meeting her daughter.
During the podcast, Rossum also recounted the intense experience of going into labor with her daughter. She admitted to being in denial about being in labor the first time and continued to watch a Knicks game while experiencing contractions. She explained that her contractions were spaced more than eight minutes apart, leading her to believe she could labor at home longer. It wasn't until she felt she could "not do much more of this" that she called an Uber to go to the hospital. She reported being nine centimeters dilated on the way, narrowly avoiding giving birth in the car.
Upon meeting her daughter, Rossum experienced a profound sense of vulnerability. "That this thing that we've been able to keep safe inside of you for so long is now outside of you, and it's so vulnerable, and anything could happen to it," she said.
Rossum also briefly touched on her struggle with postpartum anxiety, describing it as "very, very rough, like very intense, intrusive thoughts."
Earlier this year, Rossum spoke with the Today show about taking a break from acting to focus on raising her children. She reflected on her role in the play "Walden," stating that it reaffirmed her love for her craft. She has since taken on a leading role in the upcoming Hulu series "Furious," a crime thriller set to premiere on July 27.
In June, Rossum shared a throwback photo on Instagram of herself in labor five years prior, humorously noting her commitment to finishing a Knicks game before heading to the hospital. She expressed a long-held desire for the New York Knicks to win an NBA Championship, playfully writing that she had "been waiting for this moment for as long as I can remember."