LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Kristen Doute, 40, the former star of 'Vanderpump Rules' and her boyfriend Luke Broderick, 32, have opened up about their emotional journey of becoming pregnant and then losing their baby due to a blighted ovum after six weeks.
The couple shared their joy and pain on their podcast 'Sex, Love, and What Else Matters with Kristen Doute' where they revealed how they found out they were expecting, how they coped with the miscarriage, and how they are looking forward to trying again.
What is a blighted ovum?
A blighted ovum, also known as an anembryonic pregnancy, is a type of early pregnancy loss that occurs when a fertilized egg does not develop into an embryo, as per Mayo Clinic.
The gestational sac, which contains the placenta and other tissues, continues to grow but the embryo does not. This makes the pregnancy unviable and usually results in a miscarriage. The actual reasons have not been known yet.
"But it may be due to problems with chromosomes — the structures that contain genes — in the fertilized egg," she said.
Kristen said that she only felt comfortable talking about their experience because she knew that many other women have gone through the same thing.
“It’s really f*****g terrifying because you always think, ‘What’s wrong, what did I do wrong? Could I have done something different?' And my doctor and my friends have told me, inside and out up and down, there’s no cause. They don’t know why,” she said on the podcast.
How did Kristen Doute and Luke Broderick cope with the loss?
Despite the heartbreak, Kristen and Luke tried to focus on the positive aspects of their situation and look forward to the future.
“The only silver lining, the fact that we’ve now been digesting this for the last four or five days, is that I know once Luke and I are past this, we can try again,” Kristen said.
“And we were very lucky and very fortunate that we got pregnant so quickly. We were so so lucky, because it could have gone a different way for me at my age. I haven’t gone through IVF, I haven’t frozen my eggs, I haven’t done anything. I just think there’s something in God’s plan," she added.
Kristen Doute feels it was an unfortunate thing but hopes of healthy pregnancy next time
The 'Vanderpump Rules' alum said, “It was just a really unfortunate thing that happened to us. And I know that we can try fairly soon. And I think that we’re very hopeful to have a very healthy pregnancy the next time around.”
Kristen also noted that they had only learned that their pregnancy was unviable days earlier, and that they were still processing their emotions.
“We’re talking about this so f****** lightly right now, I feel like i’m really fresh out of feelings in the moment, because we’ve been dealing with this," she added.
Luke, who is 32 years old and from Colorado, said that he was shocked by the news, but he also wanted to be supportive of Kristen and share their story with their listeners.
“It’s hard,” he said, adding “And I genuinely can’t believe that we’re putting this out there."
He continued, "but I feel like for our listeners to understand mentally, to understand where we’re at, we have to kind of get this out there.”
How did Kristen Doute and Luke Broderick find out they were pregnant?
Kristen and Luke also recalled the happy moments when they first found out they were expecting a baby.
“It was like the happiest time ever,” Kristen said, adding “And I was so scared I was like like, ‘Holy s*** Luke we got pregnant so fast, like are you okay with this?’ And he was so happy. And our families were so happy, and our friends that knew, were so happy.”
Luke agreed, saying, “It was fantastic to have all the support, and everyone be so happy. It sucks to be where we are right now, but we’ve got to try to focus on the positive side of things.”
He also expressed his love and commitment to Kristen, and his hope for their future family. “I just know that I have to be your rock here, and I want to,” he said.
“I want to be there with you, for you. And help get over this sad times, and get back to more happy times, because I know it won’t be that far off. It’s coming, we will accomplish it, and we’ll be an awesome, happy family some day," he added.
