Nigerian television star, Stephanie Coker Aderinokun, has told Chude Jideonwo, host of the viral show: #WithChude, her heartbreaking IVF attempt that almost made her commit suicide.
She also shared her struggles with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome and unending hustle in relocating to Nigeria from London.
Aderinokun went further to reveal how she has been able to find her footing in the country.
On her battle with PCOS and traumatszing IVF procedure, she told #WithChude: “I did try.
“And when I tried, it didn’t work.
“I mean, naturally.
“I was tired of seeing pregnancy tests as negative.
“That alone is traumatising because you feel pregnant.
“Oh yeah, maybe I’m pregnant.
“You get excited.
“And then it’s like: ‘Oh, okay, I’m not actually pregnant.’
“How many times am I going to do this?
“I can’t just keep going somewhere to the bathroom and get this negative answer.
“I don’t like it.
“Is there something else I can do, please?
“I want to get the show on the road.
“It was a costly decision to decide on doing IVF.
“Because we: my husband, we were talking about like $40,000 back then.
“Then the second one was like $30,000.
“I had a failed IVF last year.
“A second one. I got pregnant on the first IVF cycle, but the second one failed.
“And I actually wanted to stand in front of a car and just let the car hit me.
“I wanted the car to hit me.
“I’m not going to lie.
“PCOS?
“Wow.
“I really hated myself then because I felt like I traveled all the way to Los Angeles to get pregnant, and my husband was doing elections.”
Speaking further on her recently produced documentary, Aderinokun explained the various symptoms women with this syndrome experience.
She said: “Many ladies bleed for, like, three months.
“I thought I was bad because I go for like weeks.
“And if they don’t use anything, they can continue bleeding.
“The main symptom for me is hirsutism.
“And that was a really big deal for me.
“There’s hair growth.
“Then I have hormonal acne because I couldn’t explain it.
“Like now, I have one nice pimple here.
“And I’m like: ‘What’s all of this?’
“I spend like N800,000 a month on my skin because I have to do laser hair removal as well.
“There’s that.
“And then the missing periods for a whole year.
“I didn’t have a period for a whole year.
“I didn’t bleed for a whole year.”
Aderinokun speaks to her unending hustle, while she relocated to Nigeria.
She said: “It was a very tough time because, again, when I moved to Nigeria, I had a friend.
“You know how this breakfast thing works?
“London girls are not used to Lagos boys.
“So for that one, it was breakfast between me and the person.
“I didn’t understand the setup in Naija and how men move in Naija.
“Do you get it?
“I’m a newbie.
“So this was like a spread of different continental breakfasts – everything.”
Aderinokun also shared more about her hustle in Lagos and her career growth: “So I went to Cool FM to audition, and I dropped my audition tape.
“Nobody got back to me.
“So I asked my cousin.
“He now asked someone he knew on cool FM.
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“They said they didn’t get anything.
“So they were like: ‘Come back for another audition and don’t drop the tape.’
“Cut the long story short: Somebody threw my audition tape away at Cool FM because they felt like this British accent lady cannot come here.
“They felt threatened.
“Eventually, I got a job at Cool FM, and the person actually told me that they threw my audition tape away.
“I was like: Okay.
“By the way, everybody was mean to me there.
“I think it was only Kayla that was nice.
“I would cry going to work and crying back home.
“Because they would say: ‘She’s sleeping with the boss; that’s how she got the job.’
“If I tell you about my journey, haa, I really suffered.
“I’ve worked there for a month, and then I went back to the mainland.
“I started eating puff-puff and Indomie in the morning.
“Because my mom cut me off.
“I had spent like N1 million.
“This was when it was like N250 to $1.
“I finished her Skye Bank account.
“She was like: ‘It’s enough. It’s either you come home or you are on your own.’
“So I was like: ‘How will I do it now? Will I enter runs?’
“Because I cannot enter runs.
“My head is not fit for this runs life that I’ve seen these babes doing.
“It’s not for me.
“I cannot do it.
“So, I went to the mainland, and I would write proposals in a salon in Ebute Meta.
“I would sit there, and when they have light, it’s me and them.
“We will be there, gisting and watching Africa Magic.
“I would also write proposals and give them to somebody.
“They would say: ‘Do you want to go to Ghana?’
“I will say no.
“I don’t want to follow you to Ghana, sir.
“That’s the end of the proposal.
“This time, Instagram is not popping, you know.
“So all of us are just hustling, and I’m like God one day, one day.”
Watch the excerpt: https://www.instagram.com/p/C7nzSKINsMt/
#WithChude is a network of media products across TV, Film and podcasts telling stories that enable and strengthen the mind, the heart, and the spirit.
The weekly interviews are widely syndicated across terrestrial television and social media platforms, reaching an average of eight million people weekly – positioning it as the most watched and most syndicated weekly talk show (digital + traditional) in the region.
It has become a safe space for guests to talk about things publicly for the first time.
Actor Joke Silva revealed that her husband, Olu Jacobs, was dealing with dementia with Lewy body for the first time on the show, and producer Kemi Afolabi opened up about her experience dealing with Lupus on #WithChude.
That month, Lupus and Kemi Afolabi were among the top Google Nigeria searches.
The interviews have been featured everywhere from the BBC to New York Times.
The documentary and travelogue series: #ChudeExplains, has tackled issues from criminal justice reform to Gen Z coming of age.
All past and new episodes of #WithChude can be watched at: watch.withchude.com.
You can also watch the premiere of new episodes every Saturday on Channels TV at 1pm, with reruns every Sunday on Wazobia TV Channel 98 at 5pm, and every Tuesday on Rave TV at 5pm.
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