Louise Thompson gives a fertility update as she shares sweet gesture from fiancé Ryan Libbey amid IVF and surrogacy journey

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Louise Thompson recently shared news about her fertility journey, along with a heartwarming act of kindness from her fiancé, Ryan Libbey.

Oh my gosh, you guys, I’ve been following her journey so closely! It’s just… amazing. After everything she went through with Leo – seriously, that emergency C-section in 2021 was terrifying, she almost didn’t make it! – she’s decided she wants to try for another baby. And she’s been sharing everything online, which is just… everything! I’m totally obsessed with watching her try to expand her family after all that she’s been through.

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

Earlier this year, the former Made In Chelsea star shared that she’s hoping to have another child through surrogacy.

Louise revealed on Instagram on Friday that she and Ryan have one embryo remaining from their IVF treatment, currently stored for potential future use.

Louise announced the good news with a photo of flowers Ryan had given her. She captioned the picture, ‘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! ✨’ This seemingly simple sentence has a deeper meaning – if you’ve heard our latest podcast episode, you might already understand what she’s referring to.

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. 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 tiring day.

Louise explained that those words represented years of preparation, including multiple medical treatments, tests, anxious waits, and a lot of emotional struggle and sadness.

It’s a quiet courage, the kind that goes unnoticed – and that’s understandable, because we actively choose to face difficult experiences when we could simply avoid them. We could just accept things as they are. But I refuse to let past hurts control what happens next; I want to build a different future.

Those familiar with this journey understand it intuitively. We pore over tiny details, carefully counting and tracking everything, and even learning new terminology – all in pursuit of a breakthrough.

I used to believe that if I just taught people the right things, I could influence what happened next. But this situation is different – it’s not something I can easily plan for or control. There are no set rules or guaranteed results.

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 situations like ours, but it became clear that every case is unique. Ultimately, we only had one viable embryo, which wasn’t the ideal result, especially considering my average AMH level of 25.

This situation makes me think there might be another issue at play. It’s not a deal-breaker, but it’s concerning because something used to function correctly. Focusing on that point seems like a reasonable first step, so we’re taking time to understand what’s happening.

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

Following her appearance on Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place podcast, Louise revealed she’s attempting to have another baby, but is struggling with feelings of incompleteness and a loss of self.

My partner and I would love for Leo to have a sibling, as we both have very close relationships with our own siblings.

I still have some reproductive capacity, which means I no longer have menstrual periods. This change, along with other things, makes me feel less complete and less like my former self.

‘It’s not going to be an easy journey. 

We’re focusing on improving our mental well-being and, while doing that, we’ve decided to explore options for preserving our fertility.

Louise shared that she’s been focusing on her PTSD recovery, but Ryan is more anxious about having another baby and really values the stability they currently have.

She explained that Ryan was much more impacted by this than she was, particularly when thinking about having children.

He’s terrified of repeating past hardships and is desperately holding onto any sense of stability. He doesn’t want to risk another difficult situation, especially becoming a single parent again, and he’s afraid of falling back into a state where he feels lost, panicked, and unsure of himself. He simply can’t face going through that again.

I feel incredibly fortunate to be alive and to have a comfortable life, especially with my wonderful child. We believe building a family is both a meaningful goal and something we deserve.

As a lifestyle expert, I truly believe every woman deserves the freedom to decide if and when to start a family. Ideally, I’d love to feel empowered to enjoy intimacy with my partner, and if it happens naturally, great! But the right to a safe and respectful birthing experience, and the choice about whether or not to have children, should always be mine.

Dealing with infertility is hard, and my past scarring makes it even more challenging, but we’re not the only ones going through this.

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2026-02-06 12:19