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Filipino actress Heart Evangelista. Photo: Instagram

Filipino actress Heart Evangelista says ‘a baby boy and a baby girl’ are waiting for her after difficult IVF procedure

  • Evangelista, who suffered a miscarriage in 2018, told a fashion magazine the IVF procedure was ‘one of the toughest, challenging times’ in her life
  • The star lost her twin babies she was expecting with husband, Senator Francis ‘Chiz’ Escudero, four years ago

Philippine actress Heart Evangelista has revealed she has a baby boy and girl “waiting” for her after undergoing in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment, which she described as “one of the toughest, challenging times” in her life.

Evangelista, who suffered a miscarriage in 2018, told fashion magazine L’Officiel Philippines it was very difficult and painful when she was injected with fertility hormones.

“I had three injections a day over a two-week process. After harvesting and the processes that came after, they were able to gather the perfect boy and the perfect girl,” Evangelista said. “I actually have a baby boy and a baby girl waiting for me.”

Evangelista did not specify whether she was referring to cyropreservation, where embryos are frozen and stored for later use. She also did not say whether she was pregnant.

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But after the success, the 37-year-old started questioning whether she was ready to become a mother.

“Do I want a child because I want a child? Or do I want a child because the environment or culture dictates that I should have a child?” Evangelista said.

She also encouraged women to consider IVF as it “buys them time”, adding the process was available in the Philippines and not just abroad.

“Any time they decide on having a child, the embryo is there. Whether you decide immediately or five years from now, there is no deadline,” Evangelista said.

The model said being able to take control over her body had “changed her as a person”.

“I’m standing up for myself. It’s liberating to decide according to what I want and not what other people want. That has changed me dramatically.”

Heart Evangelista with her husband Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero. Photo: @iamhearte

Evangelista lost her twin babies she was expecting with husband, Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero four years ago.

“There are not enough words to express how heavy my heart feels but I know it’s important to share this because it’s part of my motherhood journey,” she wrote on Instagram at the time.

Evangelista’s interview with the magazine came amid rumours her seven-year marriage to Escudero, 52, was on the rocks.

“Chiz is a really good guy though we’re very different because he’s very conservative and I’m also a little bit more modern. Perhaps it’s because of our age gap,” she said.

“But what I like about him is he tries. He tries to be as supportive as he can be.”

Evangelista, who earlier this month removed the Escudero surname from her Instagram account, said in a video she had been “going through some personal struggles and felt a lot of pressure in my life”.

The couple has neither confirmed nor denied the rumours.

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