‘Doing it on my own’: MEP Maria Walsh announces pregnancy after IVF treatment

James Cox

Fine Gael MEP Maria Walsh has announced she is expecting her first baby following fertility treatment.

Walsh, 38, said she had not planned on "doing it on my own" but having a child was “always a part of my bucket list”.

Walsh, a former Rose of Tralee, made her pregnancy announcement on social media. Speaking later on RTÉ’s Brendan O’Connor show, she said she started her fertility journey just over a year ago.

“I did it on my own for various reasons, out of fear and really out of control,” she said.

“I don’t know if other women feel this, be it in a partnership or like me as a single woman doing this. There are so many things that are uncontrollable about fertility.

“I have an absolute admiration for my body now that I didn’t have before.”

Walsh said she had worked with a talk therapist, and didn't tell anyone about her fertility treatment "for the longest time".

“Through all my tests and checks, I sat in a waiting room that was incredibly packed. There was a lot of people ... perhaps some single women like me who are LGBTI, or there were single women who were straight, or there was couples who were just going through the first round or second round, but the scare of miscarry is an incredible fear.

“I’m privileged to say that right now, I feel incredibly healthy. My baby’s healthy. We’re on track, good size, great heartbeat but for others that’s not a lived experience. I think the more we give space to that story, the more we’re able to support it.”