Husband Totally Transforms His Body As Support For His Wife Going Through IVF!

Going through IVF is without a doubt one of the most gruelling experiences for a woman’s mind and body. There are the hormone injections, constant blood tests and don’t even get me started with the severe mood swings! But that’s just the female. What about the man in the whole equation? What does he do to prepare for the process?

One committed and supportive husband decided to totally transform his body while his wife went through rounds of IVF.  Korean-born Hugh Gwon, 34, shed over 23 kilos through healthy eating and exercise while his Australian wife of five years, Nichola, 34, started infertility treatment.

‘For years he had been wanting to lose weight. He had always just accepted that he was bigger, especially for his height and for Korean standards,’ Nichola said.

‘He had tried before but had given up. Seeing what my body had to go through with the first round of IVF really spurred him to take the weight loss seriously and think about his own health. Although I am the infertile one, him being healthy can really help with IVF too, so that was part of his motivation,’ she continued.

The couple met in Sydney during a language exchange program. Hugh was wanting to improve his English and Nicola was interested in learning Korean. Following their initial meeting in 2010, the pair married at a registry office as well as celebrating with both an  Australian and Korean ceremony in 2012.

Nichola spoke about her infertility issues saying her endometriosis would make falling pregnant naturally quite difficult.

‘Before starting IVF I had over a year of treatment of endometriosis in order to get ready for IVF,’ she said. ‘It was difficult not knowing whether we would actually be able to have a baby. The first round of IVF was very difficult and a failure.

‘I had some extra problems so the next round was even more specialised for me.’

At the time Nichola’s husband Hugh weighed 85 kilos and was having his own health issues. While it’s the woman that undergoes most of the treatment for IVF the quality of the man’s sperm can also plays a crucial role in the whole process.

Hugh says he underwent complete overhaul which saw him change the way he ate and socialised and saw him drop 23 kilos in just 6 months.

‘It was really difficult. I love socialising, but even though I went out I had to control myself and not eat unhealthy food and not drink a lot,’ Hugh said.

‘It was hard adjusting to exercise. Having a personal trainer helped a lot,’ he said. ‘These days I feel a lot more confident and healthy and less stressed.Being unhealthy and overweight causes a lot of stress. Going out, shopping can cause stress but these days it’s easy to go clothes shopping.The feeling I get after working out is amazing, both body and mind. A lot of people said they were inspired by my video and they started their working out project too.’

So did Hugh’s hard work pay off?  It sure did!

‘Yes, I’m pregnant now,’ Nichola said. ‘When we started this round of IVF Hugh had already become a lot healthier, which means healthier sperm, so that could have helped as well. Knowing how much he struggled in the past I’m really proud of him making such big changes.He also did it in a responsible way over months and made lifestyle changes, rather than a crash diet.  He was so involved in the IVF process too and had to help me with all the needles, was there for every single hospital appointment, and knew what I was going through.’

What a gorgeous story of support and team work! As any woman who goes through IVF knows it can be a heartbreaking and isolating experience. Your body doesn’t feel like it belong to you anymore. The constant prodding and pricking combined with the influx of hormones makes for a very emotional momma-to-be. Hats off to Hugh for doing his part in the whole IVF process!

Images: Instagram MyKoreanHusband