If you have a television, you’ve probably seen Emmy award-winning host Zuri Hall’s face before. In addition to being a co-host for NBC’s hit reality competition series American Ninja Warrior, she’s a correspondent for the syndicated entertainment news show Access Hollywood, where she’s interviewed the who’s who in entertainment from the likes of George Clooney to Ava DuVernay as well but what’s particularly interesting about the seasoned journalist and host is her desire to lean into motherhood despite her glitzy and exciting career in entertainment.
Recently, she publicly opened up about her egg freezing journey on Access Daily in a conversation about how more celebrities are freezing their eggs. “I love seeing this wave of women opening up about the process and why it’s important. This is something close to my heart because I am freezing my eggs,” Hall said to the outlet. “I’ve always tried to use my platform to empower women from the inside out. For a long time, that was mental health, and it continues to be, and now fertility is very much a part of that.”
She also mentioned that while she’s never felt better or younger, no one shared that she could start freezing her eggs in her twenties. When asked if she regretted her decision not to start sooner, she responded, “I want to always be in control of my destiny and what’s coming next. I love when we, as women, can put ourselves in decisions without making choices out of desperation. I’ve always wanted to be a mother, but I want to do it correctly with the right timeline.” With this segment, her goal was to share her own truth and raise awareness of the egg freezing option for younger women. “You want to do it when you don’t need to because that’s where you can freeze those healthy eggs,” she stated.
Hall, now in her mid-thirties, is keenly aware of how she may face difficulties down the road regarding infertility, which is why she’s taking the proper precautions ahead of time with hopes of starting her own family and becoming the mother she’s always envisioned herself to be. The egg freezing process, otherwise medically known as mature oocyte cryopreservation, is a step that some women prefer to take to prepare for family planning down the road. It’s a precaution, not knowing if they will need to go through with IVF (in vitro fertilization) or even if they want kids down the line. It may be a good option for busy, career-centric women like Hall, especially if your employer insurance covers it.
While Hall has already begun her egg freezing process and is on the road to planning out her motherhood journey, she does hope that more Black women who are eager to be mothers consider the medical procedure, as it can be helpful with easing the anxiety of family planning if you’re just not ready yet or having infertility issues. We spoke to Hall about her decision to freeze her eggs, how evasive the process was for her, and what excites her most about potentially becoming a mother.
ESSENCE: Can you share why you were candid and open about your egg freezing journey?
Zuri Hall: I was candid and open because I hope more women will be. And I hesitate only because I never want to imply that I want to shame anyone out of sharing or not sharing anything. Because the truth of the matter is that we women have had so much shame put on us by society; when it comes to having these conversations, there’s so much that we do in the shadows. Because if we can’t have birth naturally, or if we can’t do it by a certain age, or with a specific person, we’ve gotten it wrong, and somehow we are failing. I understand why people hesitate to talk about freezing their eggs. It’s a part of why I was even a bit shy about talking about it publicly. I’m 35. I love where I am in my life. I’ve never felt more confident in myself, I’ve never felt stronger or healthier, but if I had known at 25, or 26, or 27, just how much easier specific processes would have been just because of the biology of it and the science, I probably would have taken it a little bit more seriously, particularly because I had the opportunity to freeze my eggs for free.
I’ve paid out of pocket to freeze my eggs, but I feel so blessed and grateful that I have the means and the resources to do it. Not everyone does, and I’m aware of that privilege. So, I’m also shouting it from the mountaintops for the younger women who may have company resources or benefits they don’t even realize to take advantage of that now.
Did you receive any criticism when you were open with your friends and your family about freezing eggs, especially as a black woman?
I didn’t receive criticism. So much so that I got a couple of people who said, “Well, it’ll happen when it’s supposed to happen.” Implying that you know what God has for you is for you. And while I believe that, I also think that God helps those who help themselves. When we have these incredible scientific tools at our disposal, why would we not utilize them? So, more people were trying to be positive and encouraging by suggesting that I didn’t need to do it if I didn’t want to. But overwhelmingly, the reaction was positive and supportive. Sometimes, we do a disservice to women, particularly younger women, when we tell them that because even though we do have time, I’m figuratively speaking. In many situations, we don’t have the time that men have. So, I think if we get more honest and transparent about that timeline about the way our biological clocks and bodies work, we can empower ourselves to take our power back and create ownership of our lives.
How was your process? How invasive was it?
My process was actually relatively smooth. I had to take my injections for a little bit longer than the doctor initially suspected that I would. Many women talk about the emotional aspect; for me, mental and emotional wellness is part of my platform. It’s what I’ve talked about in my podcast, “Hot Happy Mess,” a lot, particularly for black women, why we need to protect our mental and emotional health in high-stress environments, environments that cause burnout. And that was probably the most challenging thing for me, the mental aspect of “Man, I’m just doing this alone.” I shed tears the first few nights because I was stressed and overwhelmed. I couldn’t afford to knock over a vial because it’s not cheap. So you go through all of the emotions of just trying to navigate this process, which can be overwhelming. Right now, I’m a single woman doing this for herself, which can be a very isolating experience.
Do you plan to go through with IVF?
I don’t know if I plan to go through with IVF. I think that’s a significant differentiation to make for these women. I didn’t even really understand the differences between egg freezing and IVF fertility; it was all just one big confusing bubble to me. What’s so funny about statistics, from what I’ve come to understand, is you can freeze your eggs, and yet still, the ideal course of action is a natural pregnancy. So egg freezing is not supposed to be considered Plan A, but instead, Plan B, which is the contingency plan. So, in a perfect world, because I want children, I want to be married and raise my children with my husband. So, ideally, I’ll still be giving birth naturally. And then, if for whatever reason, God forbid, there are issues with that, I have a little solace in knowing that we can go to the egg bank and thaw some of those bad boys out, but I don’t necessarily plan to do IVF.
What advice would you give to women considering freezing their eggs and going through this?
My advice is to begin today with research. You can decide, “This isn’t for me,” or you can choose, “Absolutely, this is for me,” but running from the issue or sticking your head in the sand [won’t help]. If this is important to you, the best course of action is starting.
What excites you the most about motherhood?
Ah, that is a great question. I get excited. I’m tearing up a little bit. I appreciate that question because I don’t get to talk about it. When I think about it in a real way, it reminds me just how much I really want this one day. So it’s one thing to talk about, the number of eggs, but it’s another thing to feel it in your body and your bones. So I don’t sit with that feeling as often as I sit with just the logistics of helping to facilitate the process. What excites me most about motherhood is the opportunity to create a life but to create this space in which that life gets to become what it will. I’m excited to see who they will become and support them in that journey of becoming.