Did Celine Dion really undergo 7 IVFs? How did she manage?

Yes, Celine Dion's infertility struggles went on for almost a decade before she was able to complete her family with her 3 sons.

Celine and her husband, René Angélil, did not expect to have trouble conceiving when they first started trying for a family. She was in her early 30’s at the time, the couple were surprised when they encountered problems.

René was diagnosed with throat cancer in 1999, so they decided to freeze some of his sperm as precaution in case the chemotherapy and radiation that he desperately needed caused any damage to his sperm in the future.

Fertility tests carried out prior to the sperm freezing showed that René already had a low sperm count and low motility, which explained their struggle in trying to conceive naturally.

Based on these findings, fertility doctors recommended that in order for them to have a chance at conceiving, they would need help in the form of ICSI treatment.

When Dion was 33, they conceived in their first round of IVF and brought son René-Charles into the world. Their doctor said, “everybody was just crying tears of joy” at the birth.

This followed a series of failed IVF cycles and miscarriages that went on for many many years. Finally, Celine and René’s sixth IVF cycle proved to be successful for them. In 2010, at the age of 42, Celine announced that she was pregnant with fraternal twins. She also revealed that she had originally been carrying triplets, however she sadly lost one of the babies early on in the pregnancy.

Celine spoke about her loss, saying, “He chose to let go to give space to his brothers to grow.”

Their twin sons, Nelson and Eddy, were born healthy at 33 weeks. Even though she wanted to have more kids, they didn't. “It’s selfish to keep wanting more, although I would love a girl. Imagine all the shopping, the jewellery, the shoes, the dresses I could give to her,” she said.