Yesterday, influencer and writer Camille Charrière posted about her personal IVF journey on Instagram.
The digital talent is mostly known for her incredible way with vintage fashion, French-British sensibilities and hot takes on the age of ‘influencing’. She’s always been candid on social media, but yesterday went into detail about a much more personal topic: infertility.
Charrière married her now-husband François Larpin back in December 2021. It was the wedding of dreams: Celine Haute Couture ceremony outfit, up-cycled Harris Reed sheer lace reception gown, vintage Galliano coat, dinner and dancing at Maxim’s, Paris. She’s shared glimpses into the relationship ever since, but only now has she touched on the sensitive but also widely-shared issue many women face behind closed doors.
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On a post shared to Instagram, Charrière stated, “it has been hard to try put into words the weird limbo i have found myself in these last few months. @francoislarpin and I found out in July that we would struggle to conceive naturally and embarked on the so called ivf ‘journey’ shortly after. Turns out its not so much a journey, more like being stuck in the worst traffic jam, where the people around you are honking from all sides for you to kEeP f**iNg mOvInG, whilst you remain firmly at a standstill.”
Her poignant words struck a chord – there is currently over 1,100 comments on the post. She goes on to share more of the challenges: drug shortages, other health concerns, and of course the financial burden. In Australia, it’s estimated that 1 in 6 couples of reproductive age will experience infertility. But as per IVF Australia, one cycle can cost upwards of $10,000… and majority of the costs are not covered by medicare. A $2000 rebate was introduced by NSW government just this year, but it hardly scratches the surface, especially if you require multiple rounds.
Charriére continues to speak about the difficulties that come with keeping IVF or infertility hidden whilst also trying to work/live/be social, or sharing it only to be met with challenging or hurtful remarks. That, plus the also-not-talked-about concept of egg freezing (another expensive medical treatment not covered by medicare in Australia).
In a time where women are choosing to have children later in life, it’s a pressing topic, and often one that only comes to light when someone we know intimately is going through it. Bravo to Charriére for sharing her situation – she’s no doubt made many people feel very much seen and heard.
This article first appeared on Grazia International.
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