Why Being On “Bump Watch” Isn’t Such A Good Idea

Imagine this: Your coworker has been nauseated lately, you can’t help but notice that her skin isn’t quite as clear as it normally is, she’s out of the office a bunch for “appointments,” and she seems just a little rounder in her tummy. Okay, Sherlock, you might think you’ve guessed that she’s obviously pregnant (exciting!) and just not ready to tell anybody yet, but before you go spreading your “news” about her “news,” take a step back and consider the fact that your sleuthing might not be as clever as you thought.

The truth is that fertility treatments can actually cause many of the same symptoms as early pregnancy including (but definitely not limited to!) abdominal bloating, hormonal acne, upset stomach, and tenderness in the breasts. And all those appointments? Yep, trying to get pregnant through shots and IVF require what can seem like endless amounts of shuttling back and forth to the doctor’s office. Trying to fight back against infertility is really exhausting and emotional (I’ve been there) and speculation about whether or not you’re expecting (yes, I’ve also been subject to the nosy questions!) isn’t helpful. Seriously, there’s nothing worse than hearing people gossip about your “pregnancy” when all you want in the world is to be pregnant in the first place.

That’s why I feel so bad for celebrities whose bodies are consistently under “bump watch” on the cover of supermarket tabloids—like Jennifer Aniston who is once again the subject of pregnancy gossip. I have zero idea as to whether or not Jennifer Aniston actually wants children at this point, but it’s honestly no one’s business unless she wants to share that information with the world. Plus, if she is undergoing fertility treatments, I’m sure she doesn’t appreciate her most intimate hopes being hyped up in neon print for the whole world to read about.

Pregnancy news is wonderful news, and that’s why it’s so hard to not hope for and watch for the women we love to start showing those “tell tale signs.” That said, that those signs could mean a couple different things, and sadly for many women, not all of them lead to baby.