Sambhavna Seth on 7 IVF failures: 'Only a woman can have such strength'
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
Actress and dancer Sambhavna Seth has opened up about one of the most painful chapters of her life — enduring seven consecutive IVF cycles, each ending in failure, before finally becoming a mother through surrogacy. The revelation came during an upcoming episode of the celebrity talk show 'Tum Ho Naa- Ghar ki Superstar', hosted by Rajeev Khandelwal.
A Decade of Marriage and a Dream Deferred
Sambhavna shared that she and her husband Avinash Dwivedi have been married for nearly 10 years, and that the couple had taken the extraordinary step of freezing embryos even before their wedding. 'We knew we were going to marry each other, so we had our embryos frozen before the wedding, thinking that whenever we planned for a child, it would be easy for us,' she said.
That early caution, however, did not shield them from what followed. Embryo transfers failed — once, then again, then again. 'One failure, then another failure… we thought the third one would work,' Sambhavna recalled. The couple went on to attempt seven IVF cycles in total. 'A woman goes through so much; only a woman can possess such immense strength,' she added.
The Role of Her Husband's Support
Sambhavna was candid about the emotional weight she carried — and the anchor her husband proved to be. She recalled Avinash telling her: 'Whether anyone stands by you or not, I am with you. I don't need a child — why do you want to go through this? I am happy with you.'
She clarified that the decision to persist was entirely her own. 'There was no pressure on me to give a child to Avinash's family, yet I carried on out of love. Together, we fought to ensure that we saw this journey through to its conclusion,' she said. The account underscores a quiet but significant dynamic — a husband stepping back from social expectation while a wife pressed forward on her own terms.
Surrogacy and the Joy of Twin Babies
Sambhavna revealed that after years of struggle, she is today the mother of twin babies, made possible through surrogacy. She expressed gratitude for India's surrogacy legislation, which enabled her to experience motherhood. The disclosure resonates with a broader national conversation around surrogacy laws, IVF accessibility, and the emotional toll of assisted reproduction on women.
Why This Story Matters Beyond Celebrity
Sambhavna's account is among the more detailed public testimonies from an Indian public figure about repeated IVF failure. Fertility struggles remain largely undiscussed in mainstream Indian media, often shrouded in stigma. Her willingness to speak on a nationally televised platform — and in her own words, in Hindi — lends the conversation a visibility it rarely receives. This comes amid growing awareness campaigns around reproductive health in India, and increasing demand for better insurance coverage for fertility treatments.
The episode of 'Tum Ho Naa- Ghar ki Superstar' featuring Sambhavna's account is set to air shortly.