Lolo Jones, 40, says she was 'shamed' and 'criticized' for wanting kids
Lolo Jones is sharing the hurtful words she received after sharing her egg freezing journey on social media.
The Olympian, 40, recently announced her decision to freeze her eggs in hopes that she would one day be able to have a child through in vitro fertilization. Though she said she had originally wanted to freeze her eggs in her early 30s, she made the decision at 39 after she had spent years waiting for a husband.
In her new Instagram video, which was posted on Wednesday, Jones shared footage from her egg retrieval — along with the comments she received on her previous post. Some included, "Hahaha should've locked down a man in your twenties," and "That's what you get for putting kids off for all these years."
In her caption, Jones wrote, "I never thought I would get teased for wanting kids. I was shamed criticized told to adopt instead called dried up or infertile. Being a women is hard. We are very aware of our 'biological clock' ticking. Trust me I've been on dates with guys who ask me if I can even have kids at my age (Like my worth is only if I can provide them a kid one day.) And to be fair guys honestly don't know. And they can't because every women’s biological clock really is different. You can be in your early 30's and have low egg reserve or have a kid naturally at 43. We are all so different."
She added that she wished she had done this process "earlier" in life, and encouraged younger people who may want children to assess their own fertility, as freezing one's eggs "gives you more options."
"I honestly feel like a weight has been lifted," Jones continued. "I've had so many bad dates lately and now I don't feel forced or rushed into marriage for the sake of starting a family that would end in divorce. I have made the right move to prepare for a family if me and my husband want to try to have kids one day. We have options. And if I can't have kids there are other options like egg donors and yes adoption. But no one should be shamed for taking their time to figure out who their life partner is. A woman shouldn't be shamed for wanting biological kids or wanting to know what it's like to be pregnant and carry her own child."
Jones received many kind comments on her latest video, too. One wrote, "Love you and love this. I've also done the same and it was such [an] emotional rollercoaster. Im so happy for you!!!" Another added, "Inspirational to many. People commenting about about your life and what you want like it’s their own. Continue to do what makes you happy and in time it will happen."
Jones has had to stand up for her life choices before. In 2020, she shared with Kevin Hart that revealing publicly that she was waiting for marriage to have sex made things challenging for her love life.
"That killed all my dates after that," Jones told the comedian on his YouTube series Cold as Balls. "Like didn’t even have a chance. Before, at least I had a chance. Before, I'd like, tiptoe. 'OK, when's a good time to tell him? Do I wait until he sees my personality a little bit? Or do I just drop the bomb?'"
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