Jenna Bush Hager Opens Up About Her Ectopic Pregnancy

Jenna Bush Hager, former first daughter and NBC News correspondent, is opening up about her past ectopic pregnancy and how it’s impacted her physical and emotional journey to wellness. In a March 21 interview with TODAY Parents, Hager recalled beginning her wellness journey with Amanda Bartolomeo, the founder of the workout CorePlay.

“When I first met Amanda, we started talking about finding your core and what that means metaphorically for women and obviously physically. Making sure you’re engaging. But we started talking and we both realized we had ectopic pregnancies,” she said. “I had one years ago before I got pregnant with Mila. I hadn’t really engaged my core because I had six or seven stomach surgeries with C-sections, appendicitis and ectopic pregnancies, so I sort of lost that part of me, but also, as a woman, It was a really hard thing to go through, and I was meeting Amanda right after.”

Ectopic pregnancies occur in 1 out of 40 women when the fertilized egg implants outside the uterus, usually in the fallopian tube, causing a pregnancy loss. This all-to-common complication can lead to serious medical issues if left untreated.

Jenna, who shares Mila, 9, Poppy, 7, and Henry, 3, with husband Henry Hager, previously discussed the emotional toll of her pregnancy loss in a conversation with Meredith Vieira. “It was my first pregnancy, I was so excited,” Jenna told Vieira. “I got to the doctor’s office and she said, ‘Yeah, you’re pregnant’ (but) ‘We can’t find the baby.’ And I had no idea what an ectopic pregnancy was.” Jenna had emergency surgery to remove her fallopian tube, an ordeal she said was “isolating.”

But thanks to Bartolomeo and many others that have opened up about their stories of loss, women can find comfort in community. “I went through it. Just reaching out and telling people around me what I went through. I realized there is such a community of women that can show up for each other,“ Bartolomeo said. “I think that’s the thing about women’s health. Its not just about looking skinny, or looking a certain way or fitting into your jeans. Its about feeling healthy all the way around,” Hager added.

Pregnancy loss can be incredibly painful and difficult to process. If you or anyone you know has suffered a loss, read through our expert-recommended tips on how to cope and how to support a friend in the aftermath.