Television personality Louise Thompson has disclosed she is undergoing egg freezing procedures while she and her partner Ryan Libbey focus on improving their mental wellbeing before attempting to expand their family through surrogacy. The 35-year-old former Made In Chelsea star has been openly sharing her fertility journey on social media, following her harrowing near-death experience during the birth of her son Leo in 2021 via emergency caesarean section.
Fertility Preservation Amid Health Complications
Louise has explained to her followers that medical complications from Leo's birth have left her unable to carry another child herself. She revealed late last year her hopes to welcome another baby in 2026 through alternative means. In a preview clip from Fearne Cotton's Happy Place podcast, set for full release on Monday, Louise detailed her decision to "freeze her fertility" while the couple continues addressing their psychological recovery.
"My partner and I feel like we would like to give Leo a sibling because we are really close with our siblings," Louise stated in the teaser. "I have been left with some fertility. It's not going to be an easy journey. I have decided to try and freeze some fertility while we continue to work on our mental space."
Partner's Emotional Struggle
The reality star acknowledged that the path towards growing their family has profoundly affected Ryan, potentially more than herself. "This has affected Ryan almost worse than it has affected me especially when it comes to growing our family," she shared. "For him he thinks 'why would we risk anything?'. We're so lucky because I survived, I'm here and I do have a good standard of living, I've also got the most amazing child, he's so beautiful. But growing our family is our legacy and our right."
Louise expressed frustration about her altered reproductive circumstances, stating: "I should have been given the right to a safe and dignified birth which would have allowed me to leave procreation to chance where I could have sex with my partner and maybe have another baby. We're not alone in this infertility journey, our chances are just really different due to the scarring I've been left with."
Ongoing Health Challenges
Following Leo's delivery, Louise developed post-traumatic stress disorder and post-natal anxiety stemming from her life-threatening ordeal. She has since received diagnoses of Lupus and Asherman's syndrome, endured a second haemorrhage, and required a stoma bag fitting. Despite these significant health obstacles, she remains determined to pursue her dream of having another child.
Recent IVF Developments
Earlier this week, Louise provided her followers with a candid update about her IVF progress, describing the experience as "demoralising" after learning only four of twenty retrieved eggs had fertilised initially. She documented her emotional reaction via TikTok, wiping away tears while explaining: "In the interest of being honest, I feel f***ing s***. So I just had a call with the embryologist and I was really hoping for better news than this."
The television personality elaborated on the statistics: "We had 20 eggs retrieved yesterday... they've said only 10 will mature which is hugely disappointing because that cuts it in half... only two fertilised from each group. So only four have fertilised and that is day one and we have to get through to day five. So from 20 eggs on day one, we now have four."
Despite this setback, Louise later noted in her caption that circumstances had improved slightly with "more positive news" emerging after filming her emotional video.
Surrogacy Planning and Legal Considerations
Louise has confirmed her intention to utilise a surrogate and has begun consulting with legal professionals regarding the surrogacy process. In another social media update, she mentioned: "Lawyers are involved, so if you haven't guessed that involves someone who will be carrying, so that means having conversations with people."
She admitted to feeling less optimistic than anticipated about the journey ahead: "I thought by this point I'd feel a lot better. And now I'm taking these calls and I don't even know what the outcome is going to be. And what the lag is going to be, whether we have to keep doing more cycles or where we're going to be."
Balancing Work and Fertility Treatment
The media personality discussed the challenge of managing her career alongside intensive fertility treatments. "I haven't been able to work and then also focus on this," she revealed. "I said maybe the reason I didn't mind about my last cycle doing it was because it was a first but also with work the fertility thing doesn't become my everything. And that thing you want so badly that you can't have. So maybe I need to just keep being really active on here and doing my work things and writing things."
Louise emphasised her strategy of seeking small moments of joy to sustain her through the demanding process: "I think I'm back in a place where I'm going to have to lean on those little nuggets of joy to keep me going."
Physical and Emotional Toll
In previous updates, Louise described the physical discomfort associated with IVF treatment, noting she felt "disgusting and sore" during stimulation phases. She detailed experiencing fever, pain, and sleep disturbances while carefully managing medication protocols to avoid compromising egg quality.
Ahead of the new year, Louise shared her hopes for family expansion, acknowledging both her readiness and apprehension: "I'm afraid of the couple's 'complicated' journey ahead after previously stating she is likely unable to carry another baby due to severe health complications from her traumatic first birth." She also disclosed experiencing a miscarriage in 2020 before welcoming Leo, further highlighting the complex emotional landscape of her reproductive journey.
Throughout her public documentation of this deeply personal process, Louise Thompson continues to shed light on the physical, emotional, and logistical challenges facing individuals and couples navigating fertility treatment after traumatic birth experiences, offering rare insight into the realities of surrogacy planning and assisted reproduction under difficult circumstances.
