Former Emmerdale star, Gemma Oaten, has opened up about the devastating miscarriage she suffered.
The 37-year-old actress bravely spoke out about her fertility struggles amid her 13-year struggle with anorexia.
Gemma shared an emotional video to her Instagram account where she shared with her followers that she had been told the devastating news that she didn't have many eggs to retrieve after a visit to the fertility clinic.
The star who portrayed the role of Rachel Breckle in the ITV soap said she was looking into the prospect of getting her eggs frozen when she was dealt the blow, The Mirror reports.
Now, Gemma, who is hopeful she will become a mum one day, hopes to raise awareness of how harmful eating disorders can be in relation to fertility in particularly.
The video was captioned: "3 weeks ago I went to a Fertility clinic to look at the prospect of having children, freezing my eggs... facing up to my fears.
"Having had a miscarriage three years ago, something I've never spoken about until now, and also being a single 37 year old, it's was time to be brave.
"So here I am, heart exposed and arms wide open, saying 'here I am!' and if it helps one person, its worth it."
In the video she explained that eating disorders effect the sex hormones, the organs and can stop the menstrual cycle.
Gemma said she started her periods when she was 10, but they stopped when she was 11 and a half and didn't return for two years
She admitted that she always thought she'd grow up, leave school, meet someone and have children, and even when she was fighting for her life with anorexia, she thought she'd have kids one day.
Gemma said: "Even when I was fighting for my life I always thought kids would be in my future because I'd make a bloody good mum."
When she went to talk about freezing her eggs, she had a scan to look at her reproductive system, and she made sure to tell her doctor and the person doing her scan about her eating disorder.
She said: "Please don't feel scared or ashamed if you're having trouble conceiving and you want to talk about your fertility."
It was discovered that she had a cyst and a mild form of endometriosis
The doctor told her she doesn't have as many follicles as expected in in a woman of 37-years-old.
In a woman of that age, the doctor said you'd expect to find at least 16 or 17 follicles, which release eggs for fertilisation, and he could see five.
Gemma was also told that at her age they'd expect her to have 16 eggs to freeze and a successful egg freezing round needs around 20 eggs.
Her doctor then sent her for a blood test, which found that if they started the process she would only get three eggs.
This would mean she'd have to go through the process at least six times to have enough to freeze.
It would be an emotional, expensive and painful process with constant injections and multiple visits to the fertility clinic.
Gemma said: "My options for that and the news of that was quite a lot to take in."
She added: "I was like, 'S**t, it's real,' and I know it's not a no, but I've basically been told that if I don't freeze my eggs now, my 30% chance of getting pregnant goes to 15% next year, goes to 10% the year after that.
"And unless I've got the money and the willpower and the mental strength and all of that to do this now, I might be looking at a future without children."
Her friends and family told her she could consider adoption or fostering.
She said that both men and women have been conditioned to thinking having kids is the be all and end all.
Gemma revealed that she hopes to have children one day, but this doesn't mean she will necessarily carry them herself.
*You can talk in confidence to an adviser from eating disorders charity Beat by calling their adult helpline on 0808 801 0677 or youth helpline on 0808 801 0711.
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