Kourtney Kardashian, 42, reveals IVF medication caused menopause and weight gain

Kourtney Kardashian has claimed that her attempts to conceive a baby via IVF ‘put her into menopause’, while also causing weight gain that saw her flooded with ‘rude’ comments from social media users pointing out her changing body shape.

The 42-year-old mother-of-three opened up about her fertility treatment struggles in a new teaser trailer for her family’s upcoming Hulu reality series The Kardashians which premieres on April 14.

The menopause is a natural part of ageing that usually occurs between 45 and 55 years of age, as a woman’s oestrogen levels decline. Research on whether in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment can trigger menopause is sparse and not yet cemented.

In a teaser trailer – which appears to have been leaked on Instagram before quickly being deleted – a downcast Kourtney is seen opening up to her mother Kris Jenner about her ongoing attempts to have another baby with her fiancé Travis Barker.

‘Travis and I want to have a baby,’ she says in voiceover while footage of the Blink-182 drummer proposing on the beach is shown.

Speaking about her IVF treatment, the Poosh founder said it had ‘not been the most amazing experience’ after conceiving three children naturally.

The reality star is mother to Mason, 12; Penelope, nine; and Reign, seven — with her former partner Scott Disick, whom she dated from 2005 until 2015.

Kourtney also shared her upset over the ‘rude’ comments she has recently received about her weight gain, which she says was also triggered by her IVF drugs.

‘I’m, like, it’s so rude to comment on people when you have no idea what they’re going through,’ she said.

‘The medication that they’ve been giving me, they put me into menopause. Literally into menopause.’

Kris looked flustered, replied, ‘Based off of what? A drug?’ with Kourtney replying, ‘Yes,’ though she didn’t specify what medications she had been taking as part of her fertility treatments.

IVF is usually used by women or couples who are struggling to conceive naturally, and it involves the retrieval of eggs from the ovaries, which are then fertilized by sperm in a lab, before being transferred into the uterus.

Many women who are preparing to undergo IVF will be given one or more forms of fertility drug by their doctor, which are used to trigger the release of hormones that then stimulate egg production.

In 2008 one of the first studies into the long-term effects of follicle stimulation concluded that IVF ‘appears to have no lasting impact on the timing or symptoms of the menopause’, however, the research is yet to be cemented.

Kourtney didn’t clarify in the clip if she is still menopausal, or whether she was just experiencing menopause-like symptoms, which include irregular periods, hot flashes, chills, night sweats – and weight gain.

Fertility drugs have been known to cause symptoms that are very similar to those experienced during menopause, including hot flashes, weight gain, changes in mood, and bloating.

Typically, menopause occurs when a woman is between the ages of 40 and 55, and it is diagnosed after a person has gone 12 months without experiencing a menstrual cycle.

After menopause, a natural pregnancy is no longer possible, but IVF is still an option, and previously frozen eggs can still be implanted.

It’s not uncommon for women to gain weight during IVF treatments as hormone injections can affect your weight and also your hunger levels.

Kourtney previously snapped back at a rude fan in December of last year, when they asked if she had a ‘preg belly’ after she posted photos of herself in a pool with Travis.

‘Are we really going to do this every time I post a photo?’ the reality star replied.

Last year, Kourtney confessed on Ellen DeGeneres’ YouTube show Lady Parts that she was peer pressured into the freezing eggs procedure before turning 40.

She explained: ‘I froze mine too. Hopefully they’re sitting there okay. Just for… you never know. I really got talked into it.

‘I was like, “Okay whatever, I’ll do it one time since everyone else is doing it I might as well.”

‘Everyone’s doing it. I believe I was 39. Top notch, top tier. I think it gave me a feeling of, like, taking a deep breath. You know I was 39 and I was about to turn 40 and everyone was like, “If you’re going to do it, you’ve gotta do it now.”

‘So I was like, “Okay everyone, stop rushing me. I don’t even know if I want to have another kid or if that’s like in the future or whatever.” And having control over my body, it just gave me, like, peace of mind.’

Kourtney and Travis went public with their relationship in January of last year, and Travis proposed in Montecito, California, in October 2021.

Kourtney already shares three children with ex Scott, while Travis has two biological children.

The punk rocker shares Landon, 18, and Alabama Barker, 16, with his ex-wife Shanna Moakler, and he also helped raise her daughter Atiana De La Hoya, 22, from her marriage to the boxer Oscar De La Hoya, and the two have remained close.

The Kardashians premieres April 14 on Hulu, Disney+ internationally, and Star+ in Latin America