Reality television personality Louise Thompson has offered a raw and emotional insight into her personal health battles, revealing she feels "less whole and human than I used to be" as she and her partner Ryan Libbey desperately try to expand their family. The 35-year-old Made in Chelsea star, who nearly died during the emergency caesarean birth of her son Leo in 2021, is confronting a daunting array of medical and psychological hurdles in her quest to give Leo a sibling.
A Harrowing Birth and Its Aftermath
Louise's journey into motherhood was marked by extreme trauma. Following Leo's birth, she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and severe post-natal anxiety, direct consequences of her near-death experience. Her physical health has also been profoundly impacted. She has since received diagnoses for Lupus and Asherman's syndrome, suffered a second major haemorrhage, and has had to adapt to life with a stoma bag. These cumulative challenges have fundamentally altered her sense of self.
'Less Whole and Human'
Speaking on Fearne Cotton's Happy Place podcast, Louise articulated the profound emotional toll. "We have reached a point where my partner and I would like to give Leo a sibling because we are really close with our siblings," she explained. "And I have been left with some fertility, so I don't have a period, and there are a lot of things that make me feel less whole and human than I used to be before."
She confirmed that the path to another child will be arduous, stating, "It's not going to be an easy journey. I have decided to try and freeze some fertility while we try to continue to work on our mental space."
Partner's Trauma and the Cling to Stability
The ordeal has deeply affected Ryan Libbey as well, perhaps even more so when considering expanding their family. Louise revealed that Ryan is "clinging on to any stability" he can find. "For him he is just like 'why would we risk anything, I cannot go through that again, I cannot be the sole parent again,'" she shared, explaining his fear of Louise regressing into a state of panic and disorientation.
Despite the overwhelming difficulties, Louise maintains a perspective of gratitude. "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," she said. However, she poignantly added, "I should have been given the right to a safe and dignified birth, which would have allowed me to leave procreation to chance."
The Complex Reality of Infertility
Louise emphasised that while many couples face infertility, their circumstances are uniquely challenging due to the physical scarring from her birth trauma. "Our chances are just really different," she noted. In a recent TikTok update, she detailed the emotional rollercoaster of her IVF process, describing as "heartbreaking" the news that only four out of twenty eggs had fertilised.
She expressed frustration at the seeming injustice of their situation, given her age and health profile. "Obviously uterus poses a huge problem but there's no reason why a 35-year-old with a high AMH and a partner who is practically the cover of Men's Health why we should be having any issues," she said, highlighting the unpredictable nature of fertility struggles.
Exploring Surrogacy and Leaning on Joy
With traditional conception posing significant risks, Louise and Ryan are actively exploring surrogacy. "Lawyers are involved," she revealed in her video update, indicating serious conversations are underway about having another person carry their baby. This legal and logistical complexity adds another layer to an already stressful process.
Louise also spoke about physical symptoms of her ongoing recovery, such as an issue with blinking, which resurfaced during a promotional shoot. Mentally, she admitted she is not where she hoped to be. "I thought by this point I'd feel a lot better," she confessed, describing feeling overwhelmed by the uncertainty of embryo development and next steps.
To cope, she is focusing on work and small pleasures. "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," she stated, mentioning a new petite clothing collection and simple gifts like tulips and mini eggs. By maintaining her professional life and creative outlets, she aims to prevent the fertility journey from becoming her "everything"—the singular, all-consuming focus that can be so devastating when hopes are deferred.
Louise Thompson's candid sharing continues to shed light on the multifaceted crisis that can follow traumatic birth, intertwining severe physical health complications, mental health battles like PTSD, and the profound grief and challenge of subsequent infertility.
