Michelle Obama and Serena Williams are two of the most influential and loved celebrities in the U.S., and when they talk about something, people listen. During a recent episode of Michelle Obama’s podcast IMO, the two spoke about motherhood, fertility and women’s health.
Right from the start, Obama dove headfirst into the topic of motherhood and her conception journey. Williams also shared several candid moments about motherhood.
However, one “intimate” question from Obama briefly left the tennis icon visibly awkward. The conversation took an unexpectedly personal turn when Obama asked Williams about her conception journey in front of a packed audience.
Obama began by talking about her own IVF journey and how she had always known she wanted to be a mother.
She stated that she knew from a “long time” that she wanted to be a mother and asked Williams, “Did you always want to be a mother?”
She then asked Williams a question that left her visibly awkward. She said:
“But Serena, tell us, if you feel comfortable, about your conception journey.”
Williams’ face turned red, and she replied:
“Well, one thing I, well, that is definitely, I’ve never had that subject. Yeah. That’s kind of intimate.”
Obama then encouraged her that it was OK to discuss her conception journey as they were only talking about it in front of mothers, and also joked that only “millions of people” are going to watch this.
The awkward moment quickly turned playful as Williams answered the question with a smile and said:
“Well, we were in Rome. One thing led to another. And then nine months later…”
Just as she said that, the crowd laughed, and the conversation quickly shifted to a broader discussion of fertility and women’s health. Obama opened up about her own struggles with conception and talked about her miscarriage before undergoing IVF for both girls. Obama said:
“I got pregnant once and miscarried, which was devastating. And then we tried and tried and tried. And we had to do IVF for both girls.”
The two spoke about how a woman’s biological clock is real and that freezing eggs is a good option for anyone who wants to be a mother and also have a career. Williams talked about freezing her own eggs and said:
“I froze my eggs. And I felt like once I did it… all this pressure came off of my shoulders.”
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Reportedly, Williams froze her eggs at 27 because she was still playing professional tennis and didn’t want to stop. The 23-time Grand Slam champion said she now encourages many of her friends to consider doing the same.
Both Williams and Obama spoke at length about how rarely fertility struggles were discussed in previous generations and praised younger women for opening up about it.
Williams said more women are finally becoming comfortable having honest conversations about conception, menopause, pregnancy anxiety, and reproductive health. She shared:
“I’m all about just talking and having real, raw, open conversations. Cause I think it’s so important, like not to hide what all of us go through.”
