"Pretty Little Liars" Confronts Infertility in the Realest Way

Pretty Little Liars has had a successful run over the years, captivating their fans with some absolutely ridiculous and thrilling storylines. In the series finale, things got very real as the show tackled fertility. (Note: If you're a fan and haven't watched the finale yet, know there are spoilers ahead. You've been warned!) 

 Since the series pilot episode, Aria and Ezra, portrayed by Lucy Hale and Ian Harding, have been a couple that even the most craziest of things couldn't tear apart, including (but not limited to) the inappropriate student-teacher relationship and disapproving parents. Jumping ahead to the finale of seven-year run, Aria cries on the night before her rehearsal dinner that she can't go through with the wedding. The reason being that she found out she won't be able to have children and had yet to speak with Ezra about her infertility. Not only is Aria facing infertility, but another power couple Hanna and Caleb, played by Ashley Benson and Tyler Blackburn, are struggling to get pregnant as well. 

What's so refreshing about these scenarios being portrayed in the popular TV show is the fact that they are so real. For once, the writers dropped the plot twists and gave the viewers something that happens to women everyday all over the world. When Ezra finds out about Aria's infertility, he is supportive and promises they can adopt, use a surrogate or go to fertility clinics. A switch is flipped when he finds out that she held on to this secret for weeks, enduring the entire process on his own. In Aria's eyes, she was the one unable to carry their children- she was the failure, not him. Meanwhile, Hanna and Caleb face the harsh reality that pregnancy doesn't happen overnight. They find themselves tracking her ovulation and menstrual cycle, having sex only on specific days.

This is something many couples go through. Pretty Little Liars notoriously gives their audience twisted plots that no one expects, or let's face it, aren't always the most realistic. While it would've been easy to go to the extreme with this one, the screenwriters delivered something authentic that many women can relate to. In the end, Hanna and Caleb excitedly announce that they're expecting their first child, careful not to hurt Aria. However, Ezra and Aria accept the hand they've been dealt and promise to look into adoption once returning from their honeymoon.