Heart Evangelista opens up about undergoing in-vitro-fertilization (IVF) treatment.

In the September issue of L’Officiel Philippines that features her as a fashion icon in Bvlgari pieces, she describes it as “one of the toughest, challenging times” of her life.

The 37-year-old star says, “With IVF, they inject you with fertility hormones. It was very difficult and painful. 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.”

With this and her miscarriage in 2018, a moment of existential crisis came to her as she thought about why she felt the pressure to have kids in the first place.

Heart remembers asking herself, “Am I ready for a child?

“I actually have a baby boy and a baby girl waiting for me, but I’m really at this stage in my life where [I ask myself]: ‘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?’”

On making her own choices and moving forward with the IVF treatment, Heart has encouraged women to pursue the same route as it “buys them time.”

She reassures, “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. Also, the process is available in the Philippines and not just abroad.”

At the time of the interview, Heart expresses her gratitude to her husband, Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero.

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

For now, Heart has remained confident of only good things coming her way.

“If everything turns out to be great, which I’m sure it will—it may not make sense at this point—it’s still going to be a life well lived, I feel. Everything will fall into place.”

In her story, Heart emphasizes the essence of women taking control and autonomy over their own bodies.

She says, asserting, “I feel that this alone is changing me 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.”

The actress is presently in Europe, and has plans of buying an apartment in Paris.

Early this month, rumors about her marital problems surfaced, but she and the senator have neither confirmed nor denied them.