Television personality Louise Thompson has provided a heartfelt update on her ongoing IVF journey, confirming her intention to use a surrogate while opening up about the emotional toll of struggling with just four fertilised eggs. The 35-year-old former Made In Chelsea star has been transparently documenting her experiences on social media as she navigates the complex path toward expanding her family.
Traumatic Birth Complications Lead to Surrogacy Decision
Louise's journey toward surrogacy stems from severe health complications following the birth of her son Leo in 2021. After nearly dying during an emergency caesarean section, Thompson has revealed she cannot carry another child herself. The traumatic experience led to post-traumatic stress disorder and post-natal anxiety, compounded by subsequent diagnoses including Lupus, Asherman's syndrome, a second hemorrhage, and the fitting of a stoma bag.
The Emotional Rollercoaster of IVF Treatment
In a recent TikTok update, Louise shared the emotional whiplash of her current IVF cycle. "What a day!" she began, describing how receiving news that only four out of twenty eggs had fertilised on day one felt "really heartbreaking." Despite this setback, she continued with her daily commitments, including mortgage appointments and work discussions about a petite collection she's developing.
Louise expressed the particular difficulty of discussing family expansion in professional contexts while privately grappling with fertility challenges. "Why would we have infertility?" she questioned, noting that at 35 with high AMH levels and a partner in excellent health, they shouldn't theoretically face such obstacles. "Trying to hold onto the good and the positive is sometimes hard," she admitted.
Navigating Surrogacy Arrangements
The reality star confirmed that lawyers are now involved in her surrogacy plans, indicating serious progress toward finding someone to carry her baby if IVF proves successful. "Lawyers are involved, so if you haven't guessed that involves someone who will be carrying," she explained, acknowledging the complex conversations this process entails.
Louise revealed she isn't feeling as positive as she had hoped at this stage. "I thought by this point I'd feel a lot better," she shared. "And now I'm taking these calls and I don't even know what the outcome is going to be." She described feeling overwhelmed by the technical aspects of embryo development, despite normally being "obsessive about stats and details and data."
Previous Emotional Breakdown Over IVF Results
Earlier in the week, Louise broke down in tears while sharing what she called the "rawness" of her IVF journey after receiving "hugely disappointing" news. In a candid video, she explained that while twenty eggs had been retrieved, only ten were mature enough for fertilisation. Of those, just four had successfully fertilised by day one.
"I feel so demoralised now and so rank," she confessed while wiping away tears. Comparing to her previous cycle where all eight retrieved eggs fertilised, she expressed concern about the statistical implications of having only four at this early stage. However, she noted that six initially immature eggs had since matured and would be fertilised separately.
Finding Balance Amid Fertility Struggles
Louise has been consciously trying to maintain perspective throughout her journey. She told colleagues during a work session that perhaps her ability to manage her previous IVF cycle stemmed from not making fertility "my everything." She reflected: "That thing you want so badly that you can't have... maybe I need to just keep being really active on here and doing my work things and writing things."
Despite the emotional challenges, Louise shared in her video caption that things had "picked up a bit" since filming, with the couple receiving "some more positive news." She emphasised that her emotional response represented "what the rawness of IVF can look like," questioning whether her reaction was "rational or hormonal."
Physical and Emotional Toll of Treatment
Louise has been remarkably open about the physical discomfort accompanying IVF treatment. She recently described feeling "disgusting and sore" during the stimulation phase, comparing herself to a "brick s**t house" and experiencing fever symptoms she concealed from her clinic to avoid cycle cancellation.
The reality star admitted to suffering through a night of "agony" without pain relief due to concerns about medication affecting egg quality, eventually resorting to children's Calpol for minimal relief. She also noted the return of physical symptoms like twitching and blinking issues related to her ongoing recovery from severe health complications.
Looking Toward Family Expansion
Ahead of the new year, Louise shared her hope to "expand her family" in 2026, acknowledging she and partner Ryan Libbey are "finally feeling ready" to welcome another child despite the "complicated" journey ahead. She has previously opened up about suffering a miscarriage in 2020 before welcoming son Leo, adding further emotional complexity to her current fertility journey.
Throughout her updates, Louise has emphasised finding "little nuggets of joy" to sustain her, whether through work projects, time with her son, or small pleasures like colourful tulips gifted by colleagues. Her candid documentation continues to shed light on the multifaceted challenges of fertility treatment following traumatic birth experiences.
