Having a child together is a dream for most young married couples.
But for E! News presenter Giuliana Rancic, failing to conceive - despite repeated fertility tests showing there was nothing wrong - turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
For the glamorous television personality has revealed she could have died from breast cancer due to the fluctuating hormone levels encountered during pregnancy.
In fact it was a doctor ordered mammogram, which was a pre in vitro fertilisation protocol, that ended up revealing she was in fact suffering from the disease.
Lucky to be alive: Giuliana Rancic told Michigan Avenue Magazine she could have been killed if her attempts to conceive had been successful
The 37-year-old told Michigan Avenue Magazine: 'Do you realize that if we had gotten pregnant, I would have been done?
'That would have catapulted this cancer into another level. By the time I was 40 or 41, I’m scared to think about what they would have told me.
'I now know the reason why I wasn’t ever supposed to get pregnant.
Spilling the beans: The E! presenter opened her heart in the latest issue of the popular magazine
'People come up and they have sadness in their eyes, and I think, at a time when everyone’s looking at me with pity, I look at myself as lucky.
'I think I just dodged the biggest bullet of my life.'
But she also admitted discovering she had the potentially fatal condition filled her with fear, especially when doctors decided to postpone performing a procedure on her left breast after discovering it had cancer as they wanted to discover if her right was affected as well.
She said: 'Every single second of the day I was thinking, I have cancer. It totally consumed me, and no one knew.'
The Italian-born presenter also said she had no hesitation in decided to have a double masectomy when she discovered both were affected, even though her doctor was not so convinced.
She said: 'He said, "Obviously your breasts will never be the same, and you’re also going to lose all sensitivity and feeling."
'He thought it was a more major loss than I did. I just thought, If that’s the worst, that’s a trade I’m willing to make.'
After discussing her options with her Apprentice star husband Bill and a group of friends she made the brave decision in October to go ahead with the procedure.
Back to her best: Brave Giuliana looks stunning in her photoshoot for the glossy publication
And she said meeting Lindsay Avner, founder of breast cancer nonprofit Bright Pink and someone who had herself undergone a double mastectomy, was decisive in helping her make the final decision.
The Fashion Police host said: 'I had seen all these images on the Internet, a lot of them are really scary and terrifying.
Tower of strength: The presenter said her Apprentice winning husband Bill has nurtured her back to health
'Lindsay showed me her breasts and that really brought it home. I was like, Okay, I’m doing it, because she looks amazing.'
She then started working hard on her fitness as preparation for surgery, particularly on strength training and carb-loading 'like for a marathon.'
The television personality ended up telling America about her decision on the Today show in December, reasoning it is better to be open about what was happening.
She said: 'You know how Hollywood works, if I’m going to tell one person, you might as well tell the whole world.
'Probably less than 10 people in my life knew what was happening.
'Those periods of secrecy were worse than coming out and being public. I was so scared.'
A flood of goodwill messages from around the world were a source of strength for her, and she received letters from people as far away as Indonesia, South Africa and Australia.
And when she finally underwent her procedure, her entrepreneur husband nursed her back to health.
The loving reality personality changed her gauzes, gave her sponge baths and put her hair in ponytails.
She said: 'Bill has been so incredibly nurturing. I couldn’t have imagined him stepping up to the plate as much as he has.'
Just one day after medical staff forced her to stand up, and she said it felt like knives were stabbing her under her breasts.
Four drains surrounded by her stitched skin caused her pain, and they were not removed until six days later.
Nearly a week after surgery Bill persuaded her to look at her breasts in the mirror for the first time.
She said: 'I had done a lot of research, so I didn’t expect to be disfigured, but I was pleasantly surprised. And it will only get better.'
Amazingly she is already back to work, co-hosting E! News, Fashion Police, and Live from the Red Carpet, where she will be appearing at the Oscars.
Speaking out: She has been telling her story in a bid to help other women with the disease and to raise awareness
She now wants to give something back by after discovering her story and inspired other women suffering from cancer, and even being told by Dancing With The Stars hots Brooke Burke it is the reason she went for her first mammogram.
She said: '“I want to do something like a Make-a-Wish for breast cancer patients so these women can enjoy the things I get to enjoy.
'Everything from "I’ve never owned a pair of Louboutins" to "I’ve never met Ryan Gosling." Bill actually came up with the cutest name: Fab-uwish.'
Giuliana hopes to launch the charity some time this year.
But that is not the only thing on her agenda - she still wants to have her first child, and hopes to work on that later this year.
She said: 'Right now we’re just on lockdown. We’re not doing IVF for at least a couple of months just to give my body a chance to recover.
'This year, yes, our journey to have a baby will continue.'
A good read: The Fashion Police presenter certainly seems to be enjoying her magazine spread
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2104520/Giuliana-Rancic-speak-getting-pregnant-killed-following-breast-cancer-battle.html#ixzz1n4fOQBBW
