Singer Ailee Opens Up About IVF Journey and Performing on Stage

Singer Ailee has revealed her experience of undergoing IVF treatment while continuing her performances.

On October 14, the YouTube channel 'Illine's Marriage Diary' released a video titled 'Preparing for the First Pregnancy, Times We Endured Together.'

In the video, Ailee is seen preparing for pregnancy by receiving ovarian stimulation injections. Her husband, Choi Si-hoon, personally administered the injections, offering words of encouragement like, "Are you okay? Did it hurt? You did well."

The couple remained inseparable even at the hospital. Choi Si-hoon discussed government support for infertility treatment, humorously stating, "My mom always said not to mess with a woman's natural cycle or stress her out. I should have been born a woman, and you a man, so I could carry the baby, but I can't grow a baby in my colon."

Before administering the ovarian stimulation injection, Choi expressed concern, saying, "I'm worried because there might be flu-like symptoms or headaches. I hope we can finish this without too much stress." After the first injection, he admitted, "I'm relieved you seem okay. The needle was bigger than I expected, and it made me nervous."

When Ailee had to receive two injections after a mid-treatment check-up, Choi showed his loving side, saying, "Husbands should do this." Ailee joked, "Waking up in the morning feels like a horror movie. He comes in saying, 'Let's get the shot.'"

During the injections, Ailee expressed her fear and pain, saying, "I'm scared." Choi comforted her, "Did it hurt? Was my technique bad? You did well today." He was pained by the increasing number of injection marks on her abdomen.

After about a month of injections and hospital visits, Ailee, facing egg retrieval, confessed, "I'm scared. My stomach was so swollen and painful during performances that I couldn't jump. It hurt every time I tried."

Ailee found it difficult to walk and needed Choi's help to climb stairs. On the day of egg retrieval, while fasting, Ailee humorously asked, "Can I have galbitang (Korean beef soup) right after?"

Choi reflected, "I only saw the IVF process in videos and didn't really understand it. I thought I just needed to support her and not stress her out, but there were more things I could do than I realized." He added, "I'm proud of my wife, Lee Ye-jin, for enduring everything with a smile. It's just the beginning, but I'll always be a supportive husband. To all the future mothers preparing for IVF in Korea, fighting!"

Meanwhile, Ailee is married to businessman Choi Si-hoon, a participant from Netflix's 'Single's Inferno 1,' and they are currently preparing for their first child.

Eun-jung Kim, TenAsia Reporter eun@tenasia.co.kr