Mandy Moore opens up about fertility struggles and her ‘unexpected’ pregnancy

Mandy Moore is getting candid about her journey to motherhood.

In an interview with Romper, the This Is Us star explained that she and her husband consulted a fertility doctor last summer, after trying unsuccessfully for months to get pregnant.

The specialist told Moore that there was an issue with her uterus and that she might have endometriosis.

“I was fully prepared to go have surgery and fix my uterus and hopefully get rid of the endometriosis, if it was there,” she said. “It was nice to have a plan and to know, ‘OK, well, this is why I haven’t been pregnant yet’.”

Just before Moore had the surgery, the fertility specialist mentioned that the singer was ovulating. Knowing there was a slim chance of getting pregnant because of the issues with her uterus, Moore was skeptical.

“So I was like, all right, whatever,” she said. “And lo and behold…”

That’s when she and her husband, Taylor Goldsmith, finally got the news they were about to become parents.

Still, the Silver Landings singer said that after experiencing trouble conceiving, she tried to be realistic during those first weeks of her pregnancy.

“Because of this issue with my uterus, I was very hesitant to believe it and put any stock in it. I sort of was holding my breath until 12 weeks,” she said.

Now, Moore is in her third trimester and looking forward to meeting her son. She and Goldsmith are already having conversations about how to “raise an intelligent, feminist, loving, compassionate young man, who respects women, and who understands boundaries.”

Moore has been open about some of the struggles she’s faced while pregnant, including nausea and exhaustion.

She says there’s one major perk that she’s enjoying: lustrous hair.

“I have pretty fine, boring hair, and my hair just feels like I’m in a hair commercial or something now. I’m like, ‘This is lovely,’ but I know it won’t last, and it’s all going to fall out, and it is what it is. So, I’m enjoying it now.”

Being pregnant has also changed her approach to singing, her first passion.

“Singing feels so different right now, with this dude in my belly,” she said. “Anytime we would have to record something—I’m a perfectionist and making sure my voice is totally warmed up, and I really had my whole little routine.”

In the past several months, though, she’s taken a more joyful approach to performing.

“I don’t find myself feeling stressed out about how my voice sounds, or am I hitting the right notes? It feels good to just open my mouth and sing right now, which is weird, but I like it.”

Earlier this month, Moore shared a sweet black-and-white photo of herself cradling her growing bump.

“Almost there…..” she captioned the photo, which she posted to Instagram.

Almost there, indeed!

We’re grateful that Moore is opening up about her struggles to conceive.

The path to motherhood can’t be planned. For some, it’s a happy and simple journey. For many others, it’s full of detours, snags and setbacks.

We hope that women who are struggling to conceive can draw strength from Moore’s story.

You’re not alone.