Sara Pascoe opens up on wanting to ‘normalise IVF’ in her comedy shows after birth of her son

Sara Pascoe has opened up on her determination to ‘normalise IVF’ after struggling to conceive in her thirties.

The comedian, 41, welcomed her son in February 2020, with her husband Steen Raskopoulos, through IVF.

But she revealed she struggled to conceive in her late thirties and this made her become defensive in her stand-up.

Ambition: Sara Pascoe has opened up on her determination to ‘normalise IVF’ after struggling to conceive in her thirties

Opening up to Women’s Health UK, she said: ‘What bothered me in my thirties was not knowing if I was going to have kids. 

‘My worry was: my life is really great now, but I don’t want to regret [not being a mum] when I’m 50. 

‘It was like making a hypothetical decision based on a sadness I hadn’t felt yet. The way society ties women’s success to marriage and babies weighed heavily on me; I think women are complicit in reinforcing it.’

Mother: The comedian, 41, welcomed her son in February 2020, with her husband Steen Raskopoulos, through IVF

Sara described how failing to conceive had a negative impact on her, exacerbated by the ease in which other couples around her fell pregnant. 

She explained: ‘After I met my husband in my late thirties, we tried to conceive but it wasn’t happening. 

‘It was tough; made more so by those around me who seemingly got pregnant easily. 

Difficulties: But she revealed she struggled to conceive in her late thirties and this made her become defensive in her stand-up

‘When I see my stand-up from that time, my defensiveness about others having kids is cringey. I feared honesty would make people feel sorry for me – not ideal for a comedian.’

Driven: Now Sara is determined to normalise IVF for other women through her comedy shows

Sara explained she had a miscarriage before the birth of her son, and still seeks therapy after it.

Now she is determined to normalise IVF for other women through her comedy shows.

She said: ‘I had my son, now one, through IVF – following a miscarriage. This means I’ll always understand what it’s like to be ‘infertile’; I still see a therapist who specialises in baby loss. 

‘In my show I’m determined to normalise IVF and share a positive story that’s like, ‘It’s a privilege that science can help us this much.’ But through grumpiness and jokes rather than uber-sincerity.’

Opening up on becoming a mother, she admitted that she was constantly exhausted, saying: ‘There’s a lot of unintended comedy in motherhood. 

‘Tough’: Sara described how failing to conceive had a negative impact on her, exacerbated by the ease in which other couples around her fell pregnant.

‘People say it gets better after four years of misery – imagine getting that advice in any other context. 

‘The one thing I miss is tiredness you can fix with sleep. These days, my tiredness is stubborn.’

Speaking on the benefits yoga has given her, Sara said: ‘I started yoga six years ago. Between the exertion during the asanas and the savasana at the end, I leave with relaxed shoulders and just feel very…oxygenated.

‘I do it for my mind as well as my body. For the self-employed, it can feel hard to step off the hamster wheel in case you miss an opportunity. Yoga is one thing that helps create some space.’

Read the full Sara Pascoe interview in the Jan/Feb issue of Women’s Health UK, on sale now, also available as a digital edition.

Awful: Sara explained she had a miscarriage before the birth of her son, and still seeks therapy after it