When asked if she was planning to have a second child, television personality Janet Hsieh had an answer that no one expected.

At an event last Thursday (Aug 8), Janet, 39, who has a two-year-old son with actor-presenter George Young, announced that she had suffered a miscarriage in May.

Even more shocking was the revelation that the foetus had passed out of her body while she was filming a TV show. Not only did she have to bear with the immense pain while filming, she also had to pull the foetus out and flush it down the toilet.

Janet, who gained popularity hosting the travel variety Fun Taiwan, was two months into her second pregnancy when she found out that her foetus did not have a heartbeat. Her doctor had advised her to let the foetus pass out naturally.

Unfortunately, Janet was filming a children's variety programme when she began to experience bleeding and cramping. She was also breaking out in cold sweat from the intense pain.

Worried about holding up the filming schedule, Janet said that she did not tell anyone about her condition. Even her assistant was kept in the dark.

She endured the pain until her lunch break before rushing to the toilet, where the foetus passed out of her body.

"When the foetus came out, its shape was obvious. It even got stuck, so I had to pull it out," Janet said.

Janet also shared that she had recorded a video of the foetus before flushing it. 

She candidly shared her miscarriage story with ETtoday on Thursday (Aug 15) to raise awareness that miscarriages are natural.

"Everyone's jaw dropped when they heard the news, you all must have been shocked!" Janet said in Mandarin, keeping her tone light as she talked about the unexpected revelation of her miscarriage.

However, things took a more serious turn as she tearfully recounted the heartbreaking moment when she found out that her foetus did not have a heartbeat.

"After confirming that I was pregnant, I got my mum to accompany me for a check-up, intending to surprise her. I didn't expect that she would go from feeling like heaven to hell," she said.

At the time, Janet was 10 weeks pregnant but the foetus had stopped growing at eight weeks.

She first found out that she was expecting when her period was two weeks late. She had also experienced nausea and fatigue.

"My mum always hoped that I would have another child. I told George that we shouldn't go to the gynaecologist yet. We should wait for everyone and give her a surprise," she said.

With her mother present, they visited a doctor and did an ultrasound scan on Janet's belly, on the pretence that it was a routine check-up.

"My mum asked the doctor if there was anything there and the doctor said there was a baby. My mum's jaw dropped and her eyes were red. She was so happy. George and Egan were there too," Janet recounted.

But their happiness was short-lived.

Janet immediately felt that something was wrong when the doctor fell silent and repeated the scan.

The five minutes that passed felt like a year to Janet. Finally, the doctor confirmed that the baby did not have a heartbeat.

What was supposed to be an exciting surprise turned into a sad occasion, and her mother had to comfort her instead.

According to her doctor, women at Janet's age have a one in three chance of a miscarriage.

She remained optimistic, and said: "Don't pity me. I had a miscarriage, but it symbolises hope. At this age, knowing that I can still conceive is already a great thing."

kimberlylim@asiaone.com

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