Did any of you watch MTV’s House of Style during the 1990s? That was when I first became aware of Jaime King (after she hosted a 1998 episode). She was known as “James” King and was part of the heroin-chic era of models. Jaime was indeed addicted to the drug and got clean after her boyfriend, photog David Sorrenti, died of an overdose.
Jaime has since moved from the runway into acting. She’s not a huge name but works steadily. Jaime currently stars in Hart of Dixie (CB digs that show) and will soon appear in Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (I’m looking forward to that movie even if no one else cares). She seems to enjoy her new-ish wholesome life as a parent to a 10-month-old boy, James, with husband Kyle Newman.
Jaime uses her Instagram account to rile up the masses. She upset hipsters by declaring normcore “lame.” She made a splash by posting a breastfeeding photo to Instagram. Now she’s revealed her struggles with PCOS and endometriosis. Jaime’s condition was undiagnosed for many years, and she endured five miscarriages (and an ectopic pregnancy) before her successful experience with baby James. She wants her fellow sufferers to know they’re not alone:
“For all the struggling women & moms out there that think they are alone – This is the truth about conceiving my son and struggles after. 8 yrs of pain and undiagnosed PCOS & Endometriosis. 9 doctors until Dr. Randy Harris diagnosed me & saved my life from a severe ectopic, 5 miscarriages, 5 rounds of IVF, 26 IUI’s, most with no outcome, 4 1/2 years of trying to conceive, 26 hours of brutal labor, early delivery b/c of sudden preeclampsia, tearing and tearing after the stitches were in once I was home, milk supply issues, painful mastitis, uncontrollable crying while breast feeding, worked until the day before I [gave] birth and went back after 6 weeks after because I was afraid of letting others down.”
#youarenotalone #ihavetobebravetosupportothers #realtalkthatterrifiesus
[From Jaime King on Instagram]
After I started writing this post, Jaime deleted this statement and photo from Instagram. I have no idea why she yanked it. I did see some cruel internet comments poking fun at her for claiming to be “brave.” I do think the subject should be discussed, and it sucks that Jaime was pressured to delete her post. Many women suffer from PCOS and endometriosis. Both afflictions are terribly painful and often misdiagnosed. Awareness of the subject can only be a good thing.
Jaime seems like a cool chick. Did you know that she’s friends with Lana Del Rey? I included a photo of them on a coffee date together.
Photos courtesy of Jaime King, Fame/Flynet & WENN
When I was younger I used to think she was gorgeous. She still is beautiful but unfortunately for JK my crush is now permanently affixed to Rachel McAdams.
I’m not sure she’s still friends with Lana. They used to hang out all the time. Lana was even with Jaime in the delivery room. But for a couple of months now, Jamie hasn’t even mentioned her, like: “My girl has a new record out. Buy it!” or whatever. Maybe they fell out? And Jaime’s palling around with Taylor Swift now.
I fear I may have endo but live in a country where gynae health isnt taken very seriously. Gynos here are nasty unsympathetic dudes (mostly) who seem to think that constant and often debilitating pain is all just part of being a woman. When I explained to one guy that I cant even work out without collapsing in pain he told me that we city girls are too pampered and I shpuld travel upcountry and see women who birth twins and are back tilling the land and milking the cows that very evening. I love my country. But I also hate my country.
Good for Jaime for speaking up, even though I dont quite know who she is.
I had endometriosis and fibroid tumors from puberty on, and my menstrual cramps were so bad that I ran a fever, vomited and was completely incapacitated for two days a month. Back then (the 80s) most gynecologists were men. None of them believed me. They would pat my head and say take two aspirin. Which I would throw back up immediately. It wasn’t until I had been trying unsuccessfully to conceive for years that a doctor bothered to do a laparoscopic procedure and found my uterus was just filled with endo and tumors. He said, “you must have been in horrific pain,” and I just burst into tears. Finally somebody believed me.
Is there any way you could get to another country to be examined? I know that’s probably impractical, but your long term fertility might be at stake, not to mention your suffering. I am so sorry you are going through this.
I’ve actually had two myomectomies to remove fibroids. And I got that first diagnosis in South Africa because nobody here thought to do an ultra sound on a severely anaemic 17 year old. Endo I gather is a complicated diagnosis to make so yes its my intention to fly South (haa!) and get that looked into. Thank you for your kindness.
Oh wow – this is pretty much my medical history. In my case, my first gyn (who I saw as a teen) basically did everything but say I was hysterical. As a young adult it was “When you start being sexually active it will be better.” It wasn’t until marriage and conception problems that I finally found a decent doctor who helped diagnose issues.
I feel for Jamie. No matter how developed the country, unfortunately when it comes to women’s health the problems aren’t always taken seriously or correctly diagnosed.
It’s not common. If your symptoms line up you should try to find a way to get help or medicine.
I’ve seen quite a few women that have had cramps so awful they pass out or collapse into a ball.
That’s too bad about the Doctors in your country. It’s all too common everywhere. If y haven’t eperienced the pain yourself or have seen others deal with it better you build a base line or bias.
Be well Belinda.
I had severe cramps starting in my teens. I missed school a bit and always had a very heavy flow. This was before OTC Ibuprofen and my mother and I thought I was just a bit wimpy. I was not diagnosed with endometriosis until I had emergency surgery for a softball sized ovarian cyst. I lost my ovary, but got treatment to control the severity. I gave myself injections for six months to induce a false menopause, followed by taking the pill through three cycles (skipping placebo) followed by one week off. I continued that for years (only the pill – not the shots) and my symptoms were drastically improved.
I have Endometreosis and experienced several miscarriages and unsuccessful Iui’s and Ivfs. I was never able to carry beyond 12 weeks. This is an insidious disease and it makes me withdraw socialy because I am ashamed that I want kids like others but can not have them. Padma from top chef has it. Stephanie March too. They don’t know why it’s more common in taller,thinner women. I support Jamie. She should not delete her post. We are out here and need the world to recognize this disease.
I’m so sorry you’re going through this. You are not alone. I understand how terrible it is when you’re at the age when everybody you know is having babies, and that’s all they talk about at parties, and everybody asks you when you’re going to get pregnant, and you want a child so much but nothing works. Barrett, please don’t feel ashamed. You are not the sum of your reproductive abilities. You are a beautiful person in your own right, and someday, even if it doesn’t turn out that you have children, you will find peace with your life. It gets better when you pass the age where everybody has adorable cooing babies or cute toddlers and their whole lives are wrapped up in children. Just find your own interests, or adopt or enjoy children of siblings and friends or whatever works for you. But don’t feel ashamed, any more that you would be ashamed to have any disease. This isn’t your fault, and it doesn’t define who you are. Take good care of yourself.
Yes! I have endo and went through fertility med, rounds of IUI, and finally got my two through IVF. But it sucks at this age when everyone around you is having babies and they talk about when they are going to get pregnant again because it takes them 1 try and you have to figure out if you have the money to try and use your frozen embryos next time and if it doesn’t work you’re pretty much out of luck and money. I think about it on a daily basis, the fact that my body doesn’t work like it should.
GoodNames, thank you for this comment and your others on infertility. I have fibroids and mild endo and will soon have to have my second surgery to remove fibroids. I have been trying to conceive for three years and it has taken a toll. Your comments on the topic of infertility have been so insightful, and I just wanted to let you know.
Thank you, NKN. I hope with all my heart that your efforts are successful.
I’m so sorry for what you’ve gone through. It’s a silent hell. I don’t have endo or PCOS but I’ve had 3 miscarriages & infertility problems for the last 2 years. I’ve been surprised how many others there are out there who have had problems too that don’t talk about it either. It’s terrible that it’s such a secret.
I have PCOS and went through an awful lot to get my girls. But nothing like she went through. She is definitely brave!
She should post it again, there’s no shame in what she did on the contrary, she WAS brave. It helps and she should be not afraid of some ignorants bashing her.
She needs to put her post back up. The comments over at “knee pads” were horrific and ignorant. I admire her for being so open.
You open up on social media someone will find a reason to discredit or belittle what you say. It’s sad.
Horrible of people. I don’t get it.
She should’ve stuck with James King… that’s a badass name.
Yes!
yes and then also we could tell her apart from Jaime Pressly (if they are not the same person then they look more identical than the Olsen twins)
Her agents probably told her to change it because people thought the name belongs to an actor, not an actress. I do remember her as James King though.
Her name is actually Jaime – she went by James as a model because her agency didn’t want her to be Jamie (I think they represented too many Jaime’s at the time?). I’m guessing she got tired of the confusion once she tried to break into acting.
Yes I wonder why she would delete her post. There is nothing controversial in what she is saying. It is so sad the pain so many women have to go thru to get a child and rude people out there who do not understand.
Her story is heartbreaking…so happy that she got her little guy!
I have PCOS that went undisguised for a long long time because I didn’t fit the typical profile and look of the disease. I went through a lot of heartache, including several miscarriages, until my diagnosis, and am so grateful to the doctor who finally figured it out.
She is brave to talk about it- it is so personal and emotional an issue, and infertility carries some stigma. I try to talk about my experience openly as well, because there is a real stigma surrounding fertility issues. If a friend of mine hadn’t talked openly about we infertility, I might have waited even longer to seek help. And I know that my open discussion of my problem has helped at least one of my friends seek help and achieve pregnancy after many years as well. So, good for her! I hope she continues to be honest about her issues.
I have NO idea what Normcore is. *runs to Google*
WHO would make nasty statements in response to a post like this? I can’t even imagine … oh no, wait, I know enough people who think women need to suck it up and stop whining. In general.
She should really just post it again, it’s important that people see that conceiving a baby and giving birth are NOT always lovely, magical things to go through. It’s not always hearts and flowers, many women suffer terribly, both physically and mentally. But apparently the consensus is that the best reward is being able to give the gift of life or something and if you have to suffer for it, so be it. No whining. Whatever. I applaud every single woman who carries a baby and gives birth, no matter how she chooses to do it. I think it’s not so much a gift as a completely badass thing to do and it is not the women who should be thankful they get to experience this (unless they truly are) but the men. Who don’t have to do this.
First of all, I’m sorry for her ordeal and sorry people are so mean about it. However, I can also understand why people are “mean” online. I think people are just sick of what they feel is attention seeking behavior. Celebs routinely overshare and do it for attention (not saying this is the case here, just that it does happen) and people are bored, annoyed and tired of it. Not excusing their behavior but it is understandable, especially when the attention seeking is couched in “raising awareness” or “helping others by sharing my story”. And let’s be completely real here, this is getting her attention. I doubt anyone has thought of her since the 90’s and she probably knows it. Yes I am cynical but we all know how celebs are. Of course that doesn’t mean that she’s a bad person or anything but knowing how it goes in Hollywood, I just get a little weirded out by people feeling the need to share such personal business on social networks, knowing that the entire world will see it. You don’t have to be ashamed (there is nothing to be ashamed OF, of course!) but when did this incessant and relentless desire to spill all of your business to everyone start? I just don’t get it!!
I totally disagree. I don’t think this is attention seeking and considering that she’s starring on a TV show and received a lot of buzz last year for appearing in Lana del Rey’s “Summertime Sadness” video, people have certainly thought of Jaime n recent years. I don’t think the typical woman experiencing infertility would use this experience to get into the limelight. I have been dealing with infertility for three years now and feel so much shame for my condition. It’s certainly not something one discusses to get the spotlight, considering your very womanhood is called into question when you struggle to conceive. Reading Jaime’s post brought tears to my eyes. It gave me hope that you can overcome a long list of health difficulties and still manage to conceive. Just last week I learned that I would need to have a hysteroscopy to remove some small fibroids. This comes a year after I had major abdominal surgery to remove several large fibroids, surgery during which I was diagnosed with mild ovarian endometriosis. Given that the hysteroscopy will delay my plans for IVF (and hence my dreams of motherhood for three more months), which I’m seeking after three failed IUIs, it gives me a great deal of hope to read about someone who had a long, painful journey to motherhood.
You’re part of the problem, and why women both celebrity and those who don’t want or seek fame alike, feel ashamed and hide their infertility. Can you even imagine going through two dozen-plus fertility rounds, with shots, procedures, blood draws and monitoring, miscarrying nearly half a dozen times, and then being shamed for trying to tell other people to not feel isolated in their own struggles? Wait, I know the answer: clearly you can’t.
@ NKN: I’m really sorry you’re going through that. When your body just flips you off like that, it has to be so hard. And there is NO reason for you to feel shame except that society has told you to. So really, no reason at all.
@ astra: If she wanted attention, she would have gone the Giselle route. The one Miranda Kerr took. The one Stacy Keibler is currently taking. The socially acceptable (although annoying) “motherhood and pregnancy are the most wonderful, peaceful, fulfilling, and lovely things a woman can experience and it made me the woman I am now. Now I am fulfilled.” route. That is what you do when you want attention, when you want good PR.
What does she have to promote right now? Nothing. Infertility and other issues regarding pregnancy are much more common than most people think and that makes it hard for women to talk about it. It always feels like it’s just you. So this can only help, in my opinion.
Celebrities overshare all the time but let’s remember where we’re discussing this. On a gossip blog. This is THE place where you find oversharing celebrities.
Thanks for your opinion, No. I clearly can’t understand fertility struggles as I am pregnant with my 3rd child right now. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t other areas of my life that cause me grief or sadness or overwhelm me. However, I stand by what I said, and I will never understand the need to broadcast your personal struggles, miseries or issues to the world. It has NOTHING to do with being ashamed, a legitimate medical issue that a person has no control over is nothing to be ashamed of. Apparently it makes me a terrible person to question why these things have to be done in such a public manner. Whatever happened to real life support groups or even online ones? Isn’t it possible to get support in a more private manner? Or is that just crazy thinking that is somehow “shaming” people?
@ astra: I didn’t say you’re shaming people and I didn’t say you’re a terrible person. For some people personal issues should remain private, I get that. But for the rest of us who sometimes feel alone in our struggles, this is not a bad thing. You might not understand but that doesn’t change the fact that yes, keeping things “private” and out of public discourse also means that unless you have someone in your immediate circle of friends or in your family who is going through the same thing, you will most likely feel like it’s just you (going online can also backfire, as we’ve seen after King posted her story). And if you feel alone, that often leads to feeling like you’re not “normal” and really, who wants that? Very often THAT can then lead to feeling ashamed, however misplaced that feeling might be. It’s not rational and you telling someone there is no need to be ashamed does not have the same impact as an environment that lets people know the same thing.
If you create an environment that makes people feel one way, no words will make them feel differently. Unless they come from a significant number of people. If it has to be celebrities, I don’t care. Sometimes talking helps and even if this only helped Jaime King to deal, I have no problem with it.
Btw, support groups – whether you find them online or in real life – aren’t always all they’re cracked up to be.
I have several friends that are having so many issues conceiving, it’s really surprising how many there are. All women are young (late 20s) & in seemingly good health, involved in stable relationships with careers… It’s a little alarming. Maybe it seems like so many because now people are talking about it more? But either way, everyone is brave that exposes their struggles to help themselves & others.
Sad that people are/were hating on her post, because I think these are issues that need more visibility. I have a daughter, conceived quickly but had very scary complications during pregnancy. A few of my friends also went through horrific ordeals getting and staying pregnant. Talking to them, and going through my own stuff, you realize it’s an isolating experience — when the whole world acts like getting pregnant and giving birth are a walk in the park, where do you turn for validation and to normalize your experience?
For any posters needing support, Fertility Friend and Two Week Wait are great online communities with tremendous, positive support for infertility, PCOS, endometriosis, pregnancy complications and getting pregnant in general.
I’m sorry she deleted her post. Trolls are not worth it. I wish more people wanted to talk about their struggles with this stuff. After I had my first child, I experienced terrible pelvic pain and struggled to conceive a second. I told my OBGYN (both a man and a woman since my practice has multiple doctors) and they blew me off saying I was young (see: below 35) and had a healthy pregnancy before so it was probably nothing and to keep trying. Finally, I decided to contact an Endocrinology/Fertility practice, and lo and behold, I had scar tissue blocking both tubes and a progesterone deficiency. It’s sad that some of us have to go to multiple doctors to diagnose and treat these problems.
Good for her for being so honest about her infertility struggles. I had my daughter via IVF and many rounds of unsuccessful IUIs. I had no where near as many procedures as Jaime and I honestly cannot believe how long she was able to keep up the will to do it. It’s not just physically hard but mentally.
I hope people weren’t trolling her for being so honest. I know when I was trying to get pregnant I took a lot of comfort in the stories of moms who managed to get and stay pregnant despite previous losses.
It’s nice to hear someone bringing attention to two issues that are very isolating and people don’t talk about much. I have PCOS and lost a baby last month at 12 weeks…wouldn’t wish these issues on my worst enemy.
I thought Jaime King is the young girl from The Dark Knight Rises.#confused
Good for her in posting that. Too bad she is being pressured to work after 6 weeks for fear of letting people down. Maybe those people she’s referring to contacted her?
I just want to say to all of you who suffer undiagnosed- DON’T GIVE UP- keep looking for enlightened providers who want to help.
My daughter, for two years, had escalating menstrual pain which did not respond to escalating therapies… first acetaminophen/paracetamol, then ibuprofen, then naprosyn… she was missing so much school. Our pediatrician moved on to putting her on oral contraceptives to try to control her pain… that was insufficient, too.
Ultimately, we found a wonderful female gyno who said, “Given the history, I would not be averse to doing an exploratory endoscopic lap (-aroscopy). She said she would then cauterize anything she found. Lo and behold, our poor then 15 year old was found to have about a dozen lesions ( intraoperative photos & pathology samples collected), most of which were amenable to cauterization, some were not based on location ( ureter, tube between kidney and bladder).
She has been advised to stay on contraceptives until/if she desires children many years in the future. Lupron has also been floated as a treatment should debilitating pain return.
This disease runs in families ( both my sis and I suspected we had it, as did my mother,though it was not fertility impairing for us). Keep looking for a sympathetic provider. Not to be misanthropic, but my feeling is if you weren’t born with a uterus, I’m not dealing with you for my (or my daughter’s) gyno care.
DON’T GIVE UP!!!! (((hugs to all)))
(and apologies for the long post)
Please do your research on Lupron!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No Lupron!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was actually placed on Lupron for four months before an abdominal myomectomy to remove fibroids. Initially, it affected my vision and caused some headaches and because I’m thin the doc said it might put me at risk for osteoporosis. I also experienced some depression during my first month of Lupron, and of course there are hot flashes because it saps all of your estrogen and puts you in artificial menopause. But that was a year ago, and I seem to be fine. I knew there would be scary side effects before taking the drug and managed to get through it. It helps shrink and soften fibroids before surgery and also reduces the chance of excess bleeding during surgery, so I did not object. I did, however, refuse to be on it for six months like the doc wanted me to be.
I took Lupron for six months with minimal side effects. To be honest, the hardest part was injecting myself – and I’m a nurse. It was used to “cool down” the endometriosis, and I was able to then use only oral contraceptives for treatment. At one point, I expected to have a hysterectomy at some point in my future, but instead, my endometriosis is extremely well-controlled.
I have had a stress fracture in my ankle since then, but I was also going through a phase of extreme exercise – treadmill twice a day plus Jazzercise.
I know that Lupron induces a medical temporary menopause, and people’s side effect experience varies, just like with the real thing. I know it is not something to consider casually.
Currently our daughter’s pain is manageable. Her gyno said she would not perform another surgery within a year of the last one (because of the chance of excessive internal scarring (adhesions), despite whatever pain our daughter experiences. Lupron could be the only option to have a semblance of a normal life. In any case, our daughter is an intelligent 16 year-old, who can and should be a participant in her own health care decisions.
I appreciate your concern, but if it becomes a last possible option, then that is exactly what it is.
I just wanted to add that I don’t have personal experience with Lupron, but my doctor advised me strongly against it. She said her sister had gone on Lupron and had horrible side effects.
It really is a last ditch effort, and people’s responses to it vary. Some have much difficulty with side effects, some do not, and there is no way to know prior to use. See another poster’s opinion about its benefits for her, above.
Just a little comment on male gynecologists. Two of the nicest, most sympathetic gynecologists I’ve ever had were men. And the two worst, least sympathetic, OB/GYNs with poor communication skills were women. I understand the context of historical male domination of medicine, and that this still persists in some places. But as individuals, don’t harsh out on all male gynecologists with a stereotype — or assume that all female doctors are automatically nurturing and empathetic when it comes to women’s health. A good doctor is a good doctor regardless of gender.
Once again this feels like a case of a celebrity going through something and now suddenly “we are not alone.” There are lots of resources available for infertility and endometriosis and IVF, etc. I have never felt alone with these issues. Maybe this type of statement would have been appropriate 40 years ago, but today no. This just feels arrogant to me. I see women breast feeling in public frequently, she’s not revolutionizing anything. Just because you are a celebrity does not mean you are giving us a gift by talking about your struggles.
I am a Licensed Acupunturist living in Houston, TX. I have a Master’s degree in Oriental Medicine, am nationally certified through NCCAOM, and have extensive post-graduate continuing education to boot. I am not bragging, just stating my credentials for what I am writing here. Ladies, if you are suffering from gynecological issues DO NOT just keep battering your head against the allopathic/western medicine wall: get yourselves to a Licensed Acupuncturist/Chinese herbalist STAT. Chinese medicine (Acupuncture, Herbs, Cupping, Moxibustion and other etc.) has a lot to offer~it can help regulate your menstrual cycle, treat conditions such as endometriosis/uterine fibroids, assist fertility in all aspects~conception, implantation, and carrying a baby to term, increase or decrease milk production, help induce or delay labor, turn a breech baby into the proper position until approx. the 36th week, treat recurrent yeast/vaginal/urinary tract infections, and all with ZERO ADVERSE SIDE EFFECTS. Let me repeat: zero adverse side effects. If anybody has any other questions or wants more information I am pretty easy to find on FB~my business name is Fusion Acupuncture and Holistic Healthcare.
There ARE other options than western medicine!!
I have PCOS and have relieved some of my symptoms from it through acupuncture(from person above). Although I have chosen to not have children, I commend her for speaking out about this.
I’m glad she shared this. There’s been no reason why I’ve not been able to conceive. Failed iui and of course we can’t afford Invitro and health insurance covers nothing. And after 10 yrs of trying and now 40 I’ve lost hope. It’s something that shouldn’t have to keep hidden.
Kudo’s Ms. King for shedding light on PCOS and infertility! We are not alone!