Louise Thompson breaks down in tears during emotional conversation with fiancé Ryan Libbey as she explains why she doesn’t want to adopt instead of pursuing IVF and surrogacy

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I recently had a really vulnerable conversation with my fiancé, Ryan. I shared with him that, after a lot of thought, we’ve decided to explore IVF and surrogacy as a path to parenthood, rather than adoption. It was a tough conversation, and I definitely got emotional explaining my reasoning, but we’re both on the same page and excited to see what the future holds.

The TV personality and her personal trainer husband, both age 35, have announced they want to have another child. This comes after a difficult birth experience with their son Leo in 2021, when Louise nearly died and required an emergency C-section.

Following the birth of her son, Leo, she experienced PTSD and post-natal anxiety brought on by a life-threatening delivery. She has since been diagnosed with Lupus and Asherman’s syndrome, experienced another serious haemorrhage, and now relies on a stoma bag.

The couple are now embarking on IVF and plan to use a surrogate to add to their family.

On the latest episode of their podcast, He Said, She Said, Louise explained the couple’s decision not to adopt.

As a firm believer in personal freedom, I truly feel that any couple should have the right to have a child biologically connected to them – using their own DNA. It’s a deeply personal decision, and I support their right to explore that.

I realize this is a difficult topic for those who haven’t experienced it, but unless you’ve personally struggled with fertility, it’s best to refrain from offering opinions.

As a lifestyle expert focused on women’s wellness, I’ve seen firsthand how incredibly valuable fertility preservation can be. It’s a real gift to those facing a tough cancer diagnosis – particularly ovarian, uterine, or cervical cancer, and even for younger women – to be able to freeze their eggs or embryos before starting aggressive treatment. It offers a sense of hope and control during an incredibly challenging time, and the possibility of building a family later on.

‘I can’t understand a person that will sit there and say that person should just adopt.’

Ryan believes that when people are able to love and care for someone who isn’t related to them by blood, it’s a truly special and wonderful thing – almost like a miracle, especially if they have the ability and dedication to do it well.

With tears in her eyes, Louise shared, ‘It’s incredibly moving for me. I truly believe adoption is one of the most wonderful things imaginable.’

‘Could you do it?’ Ryan asked.

Louise explained that it would be very difficult and require significant effort before she could even consider doing it.

I understand how incredible this opportunity would seem. However, we’ve both experienced significant personal hardship, and we need to consider that.

We don’t feel we’re in a good position to take on that role at the moment. It’s hard to say what things will look like in five or ten years, and we’ve learned that predicting the future is impossible. We’ll just have to wait and see how things develop.

Louise recently shared on Instagram that she and Ryan have one embryo remaining from their IVF treatment, currently preserved for future use.

Louise announced the good news with a photo of flowers Ryan had given her. She wrote, ‘You did it! I’m even saving one in the freezer as a keepsake x’.

She shared a photo with the caption: ‘One in the freezer for safe keeping! ✨’ That simple sentence has a deeper meaning – if you’ve heard our latest podcast episode, you might already be in the know!

Ryan doesn’t always find it easy to talk about our fertility struggles at home, and sometimes he gets overwhelmed and says it’s too much. But receiving these flowers made me feel confident that we’re on the same page and understand each other. He’s also really good at expressing himself when it truly matters.

I really needed that. Those flowers meant so much to me – a silent, thoughtful gesture at the end of a tough day.

Louise explained that those few words represented years of preparation, including extensive medical treatments, tests, waiting, and a lot of emotional struggle – both hope and sadness.

It takes courage to seek help and heal, but it’s a quiet kind of bravery that often goes unnoticed. After all, we choose to face difficult experiences when it would be easier to simply accept things as they are. But I believe we shouldn’t let past hurts control what happens next; we deserve a future shaped by our own choices, not our trauma.

Those familiar with this journey understand it instinctively. It involves intensely focusing on the smallest details – observing tiny growths, carefully counting follicles, and meticulously monitoring bloodwork. We’re essentially learning an entirely new vocabulary, all in the hope of making even a little progress toward our ultimate goal.

I used to believe that if I taught people enough, I could influence what happened. But this situation is different – it’s unpredictable, and I can’t rely on past experience or a set plan.

Louise shared details about their IVF experience, explaining that after seeing a promising number of follicles during their first cycle, they were able to retrieve eight eggs and remained hopeful that many would develop into viable embryos by day five.

I spent a lot of time researching and looking at statistics for people in similar situations, but it became clear that every case is unique. Ultimately, we had only one viable embryo, which wasn’t the ideal result, especially considering my average AMH level of 25.

This makes me think there might be another issue, though it’s not a dealbreaker. It’s more like revisiting a point where things were functioning well, and using that as a starting point for figuring things out. We’re taking some time to think it through.

‘One in the freezer. One in our hearts x.’

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2026-02-18 01:49