Barack and Michelle Obama have one of the most romantic love stories but their relationship also endures some bumps. The former First Lady previously talked about how she met Barack, how they started dating, how he proposed, and how they eventually got married. In her 2018 memoir, titled Becoming, Michelle also opened up about her struggles with fertility and how they eventually decided to undergo in-vitro fertilization. 

In 2009, Barack Obama took an oath as the 44th president of the United States. He and his wife, Michelle, along with their two daughters Malia and Sasha, left Chicago's south side to reside at the White House. But way before that, Michelle almost never had children. 

In her book Becoming, the ex-FLOTUS opened up about her hardship in getting pregnant. Michelle said she and Barack realized at the time that even two people who are deeply in love and have exemplary work ethics can't make themselves pregnant.  

When she finally got pregnant, they were overjoyed but it was short-lived. Michelle had a miscarriage. 

It threw her into depression, which she described as "lonely, painful, and demoralizing almost on a cellular level." Michelle admitted that she blamed herself. She felt that she failed as a woman because, at the time, she was not aware of how common miscarriages were because it was not something that many talk about. 

But it was also the same tragedy that made the young couple decide to look for an alternative. Michelle said she knew that her biological clock was ticking. At 34, she and Barack decided to try in-vitro fertilization.

The procedure resulted in the birth of their first daughter, Malia, who is now 20 years old. Three years later, Michelle had undergone another IVF procedure, in which they had Sasha. 

Michelle Obama said this part of her marriage remained private for years. However, she decided to share her past struggles in her book in the hopes that it will end the stigma for others. 

"I think it's the worst thing that we do to each other as women, not share the truth about our bodies and how they work and how they don't work," Mrs. Obama told Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts. 

Barack and Michelle Obama celebrated their 27th anniversary in October 2019. Michelle released Becoming in November 2018 and it sold 1.4 million copies in its first week, making it the best-selling book in the US in 2018. By March 2019, Michelle's memoir had sold 10 million copies.