Reality television personality Whitney Port has offered a raw and intimate look into the challenging path of surrogacy, detailing a journey marked by profound loss, significant financial strain, and fragile hope. The 40-year-old star of The Hills shared the latest emotional update on her podcast, With Whit, alongside her husband, Tim Rosenman.
The Emotional Landscape of Hope and Fear
Port confirmed that the process is moving forward, stating the surrogacy journey is on a positive trajectory after recently signing a contract. The next step is awaiting an embryo transfer. However, she described the experience as a turbulent mix of emotions that is difficult to articulate for those not living it.
"It's hopeful and it's exciting, but it's also tiring and exhausting," Port confessed. "You have all the hope in the world... but you've also had such failures that it's hard for you to imagine anything going right." She revealed her emotional state fluctuates dramatically, sometimes feeling fragile or scared, and other times determined, often cycling through all these feelings within a single hour.
The couple, who became parents to their son Sonny in 2017, faced immense hardship afterwards. Port suffered a total of five miscarriages between 2018 and 2023, all occurring after a heartbeat was detected, with losses at 8, 9, and 11 weeks. These repeated tragedies led them to pursue parenthood through a gestational carrier in 2023.
Setbacks, Costs, and Political Uncertainty
The path has been far from smooth. In 2024, a previously matched surrogate decided to step away from the process. Port explained the woman did not wish to stop taking a hair-loss medication, a decision Port respected. She also suggested broader factors may have been at play, noting her doctor's observation that political uncertainty following Donald Trump's election win led to a number of surrogates withdrawing due to fears over reproductive rights.
This setback means restarting the search, a task Port finds daunting and has asked her husband to lead. Financially, the journey is staggering. After a new round of IVF and the costs of re-matching with a surrogate, Port estimates the total expense will reach approximately $200,000 (around £160,000). This includes a $15,000 fee solely for finding a new surrogate match.
"I can't even believe that I'm saying that," Port admitted, acknowledging the severe financial stress many families face in similar situations.
A Precious Final Chance
As the couple prepares to schedule an embryo transfer, Port is grappling with acute anxiety. She disclosed that she has only three remaining embryos. She has mentally prepared herself that if these do not result in a successful pregnancy, their journey will likely end, as she doubts she could endure another emotionally and physically draining egg retrieval process.
Despite the fear and exhaustion, Port is clinging to optimism. "I'm a firm believer in manifesting and visualizing something and throwing positive energy out on it," she stated, emphasising the necessity of hope throughout the gruelling process of building their family.
