Photo: Courtesy of OWN
Keshia Knight Pulliamis revealing that her in vitro fertilization hopes were put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the March 2020 shutdown.
Pulliam, 42, already shares a 4-year-olddaughter, Ella, with her ex, Edgerton Hartwell. But she andher new husband, Brad James, were hoping to expand their family and the actress was set to begin the egg-freezing process when “elective” medical procedures were halted when the country went into lockdown.
“I never thought I would be one of the stories shared within the documentary,” Pulliam tells PEOPLE about the project that she’d signed on to narrate. “I was 41 at the time and knew that I wanted another kid, but I knew that it wasn’t right now.”
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The OWN documentary Eggs Over Easy is available to stream on Discovery+.Courtesy of OWN
“I began the process of freezing my eggs,” the Atlanta-based actress continues, “and then literally the day that I was supposed to start my meds is when, as a result of the pandemic, they shut down all elective medical procedures. So, I was unable to continue.”
“I think a lot of people didn’t realize that, with the world shutting down in the pandemic, it didn’t just affect your ability to go to the mall, or to do sporting events the way you want to, but it definitely affected a lot of people from a medical standpoint,” Pulliam adds. “People were unable to get mammograms and cancer surgery [which] were very much needed.”
Pulliam narrates the documentary but also appears in front of the camera, sharing her personal experience.Courtesy of OWN
Egg retrieval, IVF, adoption and all aspects offertility and family planning(including the decisionnot to have children) are explored inEggs Over Easy. These are conversations that Pulliam believes are essential to have, especially within the Black community.
“We cannot feel shame around these issues,” she says. “And the more we talk about it, the more we share our stories, the more that we empower other women. And that’s what we have to do, specifically Black women.”
Pulliam admits that she learned a lot while making this documentary and through her personal experience. InEggs Over Easy, she says the price tag for egg retrieval (which can run into tens of thousands of dollars) left her with “sticker shock.”
“It’s definitely something that we have to start the conversations [about] before. We have to – just how to talk about women and their careers, and what do they want to do in their lives – this is an integral part of your life’s planning that we need to make sure that you’re creating the plan for before you hit your late 30s.”
Pulliam believes legislative steps should be put in place to make the process “more accessible,” something that “insurance will pay towards.” “I think it’s crazy that you have to foot this bill on your own, when it is a health crisis,” she adds.
As for the mom, while she says it was “definitely disappointing” to have her egg retrieval plans put on hold, she and her husband are in the process of trying to expand their family the “old-fashioned way.”
source: people.com
