The Jersey Shore Family Vacation Season 7 reunion kicked off Thursday, bringing (most of) the cast together to discuss the major events of the latest season– including Sammi Giancola’s journey to motherhood.
As The Ashley previously told you, Sammi revealed in September that she had been undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments for the last year, as she and fiancé Justin May are hoping to start a family.
While Sammi said last year that she was hesitant to share her IVF journey in such a public way, she ultimately decided to allow MTV cameras to document her story for Season 7. During Thursday’s reunion, Sammi revealed that the decision proved to be beneficial for herself, as well as others.
“I actually cannot believe how many people are suffering or going through similar situations as me,” Sammi said. “It’s kind of overwhelming in a good way. It’s helping me out, I’m learning some things from other people’s experiences and maybe my experience can help other people dealing with the same thing as me.”
Sammi said that opening up about fertility has even inspired some fans of the show to explore the option of IVF for themselves.
“I get DMs all the time, people are like, ‘Wow, it’s really cool that you’re going through something that I’m also going through and because you put it out there, it makes me want to now look in that direction of doing IVF,’” she said.
During Thursday’s reunion, Vinny Guadagnino commended Sammi for sharing such an important part of her life with viewers, admitting that he found the topic of IVF “educational” himself.
“I [had] heard of IVF, I didn’t know what the process was like,” he said. “You get a firsthand look at what it’s like.”
As viewers know, Sammi initially chose to keep her IVF journey a secret from her roommates, opting to only discuss the matter on-camera with Justin. When asked how she felt about her roommate’s decision, Jenni “JWoww” Farley said she wasn’t surprised, citing the “mental health of it all.”
“ … Watching [this season] back and seeing your journey, it’s obviously extremely emotional, you’re vulnerable, and I could just tell that you weren’t ready,” Jenni said. “Like, you wanted it to be on your time and we all respected that.”
Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi admitted that if she had been in Sammi’s position, she wouldn’t have revealed her infertility struggles on the show “that quickly,” due to how “personal” and “scary” the situation can be.
“ … You just want to be able to go through that alone with your partner, so I totally understand all of that,” she added.
Sammi admitted it was “so hard” when she was initially sneaking around and keeping the details of her IVF journey from her roommates– many of whom were often partying.
“ … I literally would pretend [I was drinking], I would pour a glass of wine and then go to the bathroom and pour some out and then come back out,” she said. “I was like, playing tricks with them with drinking.”
Sammi also noted that some of her roommates– namely Nicole and Deena Cortese– have a tendency to “peer pressure” her into drinking.
“I was a little nervous for that, but they weren’t bad at all, they were great,” she added.
Sammi went on to reveal that, while her IVF journey is ongoing, she and Justin remain hopeful that they will become parents in the future.
Part 2 of the ‘Jersey Shore Family Vacation’ Season 7 reunion airs January 23 on MTV. Watch a clip from Part 1 of the reunion below.
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(Photos: Instagram; MTV)
2 Responses
If you’re trying and you have a miscarriage don’t wait, keep trying right away. The hormones help you get pregnant easier, doctors will tell you to wait but I didn’t and I got pregnant at 37 with my son right after a miscarriage
The last ppl on earth I’d share anything with would be the cast of JS.
They are not her friends, they are co- workers.
Best of luck to her.