Olivia Munn opens up on how cancer battle affected her journey to welcome daughter Mei June Mulaney
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Olivia Munn opened up on her path to becoming a mother-of-two as she shared the challenges she faced along the way.
'The Newsroom' star, who welcomed her daughter, Mei June Mulaney, with husband John Mulaney via surrogate in September, revealed that her journey to expanding her family was complicated following her breast cancer diagnosis shortly after the birth of their son, Malcolm Hiep Mulaney, in 2021.
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Olivia Munn recalls navigating fertility amid health challenges
During a conversation on October 5 at Hello Sunshine’s 2nd Annual Shine Away Event, Olivia Munn shared the emotional and physical toll the diagnosis took on her plans to have another child.
"We really wanted a little girl, and right after that we got the diagnosis," the 'Daily Show' alum recalled.
"We had already planned to turn my eggs into embryos... out of all my 26, only five were good. We had four boys, one girl," she added.
Olivia and Mulaney had hoped to conceive another child when Olivia’s diagnosis changed their course.
The 44-year-old actress remembered being determined to try one last round of egg harvesting before her cancer treatment would impact her fertility.
Despite the risks involved, Olivia felt she had to take this step as she shared, “I told [John], ‘I know [the doctor] said we get one more girl and then we call it a day, but I won't feel good until we get two more.’”
“I know I'm putting myself at risk, but I just have to do this," she added.
Fortunately, the final round of treatment yielded two more female embryos, allowing the Olivia and Mulaney to welcome their daughter Mei on September 14.
"Now we have Mei and 26 more!" Olivia lightheartedly joked.
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Olivia Munn breaks down fertility stigmas
Olivia Munn also reflected on the reactions she received when she first froze her eggs in her early 30s.
The 'Violet' star, who has been vocal about her fertility journey, recalled feeling surprised by the judgment from other people.
"I remember telling some people about this, some men, some women, and the shock and judgment that people gave me for that was so surprising,” said Olivia.
“I thought, ‘Well, people do IVF. This is the first step. So I'm just trying to use science to my benefit,’” she added.
Olivia noted that freezing her eggs was about taking control of her future.
"It allows me not to have to worry about it or find a partner... I wanted that insurance," said the actress, according to E! News.
