Bachelor in Paradise alum Astrid Loch has revealed why she and husband Kevin Wendt decided to openly share their fertility journey and road to conception with the public.
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Astrid and Kevin are proud parents of one-year-old August "Auggie" Wendt, who was born in November 2021, and they're currently expecting Baby No. 2.
But Astrid and Kevin have been transparent and candid about the fact they had fertility issues and underwent in vitro fertilization in order for Astrid to get pregnant both times.
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Astrid said the couple decided to share their struggle with fans so that people going through a similar situation won't feel alone.
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"I think that was my biggest reason for wanting to share. I just remember while we were trying [to conceive] seeing pregnancy announcement after pregnancy announcement, and it seemed like nobody else was ever having any issues," Astrid explained during a recent appearance on the "Day 1 Fertility Podcast."
"I felt like I was the only person in the entire world that was going through this, and I realize now since sharing my story that it's the total opposite of that."
Astrid pointed out how so many women and couples have experienced similar hardships on the road to parenthood.
"But I just remember not wanting to make anyone feel the way that I felt when I saw a pregnancy announcement. I wanted to take anybody else struggling into consideration while also getting to share my positive news finally," Astrid said.
Astrid went on to share why she believes there is shame surrounding women who have fertility issues.
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"From such an early age, we're taught how not to get pregnant, so when all of the sudden you're trying and not getting pregnant, it feels really shameful," Astrid noted.
"It feels like you're a woman and you're meant to reproduce, like, 'This is our job,' and I feel like that's been drilled into us. I hope we're the last of that generation, because I feel like there's been a little bit of a shift, for sure."
The Bachelor alum continued, "I find people my age and people older than me, like, they were there to get married at 24 and reproduce -- and I was on a totally different trajectory. So yeah, it definitely was a little bit of a coming out, and there was some vulnerability with that in sharing that we needed help."
Astrid insisted she "wasn't embarrassed" that she couldn't get pregnant naturally, adding, "And I wanted others to not be embarrassed of it as well."
Astrid also said being so open about the IVF process was "therapeutic" for her.
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"Because we held it all so close to our hearts for so long that I felt like, 'If I'm going to share this news, I don't want to just share that, hey, we just got pregnant with IVF,'" Astrid said on the podcast.
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Astrid shared how she previously had misconceptions about IVF treatment.
"When I thought of people who got pregnant with IVF, I thought of celebrities who were doing it to stay on a timeline or to gender select," Astrid admitted.
"I never thought of it as [people] doing IVF because that's their only option at that point. So I think for me, it was [about] getting all of that off of my chest and letting people know that there's a much bigger reason for why we had to go that route, rather than just wanting to or choosing to."
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Astrid said she wanted people to realize how challenging the IVF process can be and how it's a huge commitment, especially for the mothers-to-be.
For starters, Astrid mentioned how a woman must attend many doctor appointments while going through IVF.
"There's so much bloodwork and so many ultrasounds. It's so time consuming that it takes over your life while you're going through it. And so, I think, it was important for me to show a little bit of behind the scenes and what really goes into it," Astrid said.
And Astrid apparently has no regrets about making such a personal process so public, especially because she's been flooded with hundreds and thousands of messages and well wishes over the last couple of years.
Astrid and Kevin announced they're expecting their second child together in early February.
Back in December, Kevin revealed on the "Click Bait with Bachelor Nation" podcast of the pair's plans for Baby No. 2, "We're going in for our second IVF transfer in January [2023], so hopefully we have a second by September, fingers crossed."
Kevin said he and his wife had "two embryos left" at the time.
"We have two cracks at it for hopefully a sibling for [our son]. But it is so much work. I go to the firehouse to relax," Kevin said with a laugh.
Astrid was only one week from picking up her medications, and she said if the first embryo transfer didn't work, she and Kevin would "try again in February."
"And if that doesn't work, we have to start over," Astrid shared on the podcast.
Kevin admitted he has "a lot of empathy now" for couples struggling to conceive a baby.
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"The amount of stuff [Astrid] put herself through just to have [our son] is unbelievable," Kevin boasted of his wife. "I think when you have a baby in the end, it's all worth it."
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Astrid and Kevin tied the knot on October 28, 2022 at the Powel Crosley Estate in Sarasota, FL, after a three-year engagement and two postponed weddings due to COVID-19 and Astrid's due date with their first child.
The couple -- whose wedding had initially been scheduled for November 2020 before it was pushed back to November 2021 -- revealed how the third time was the charm and their wedding day was "magical" and "worked out" because their son got to participate and take photos.
Astrid and Kevin, who got engaged in August 2019, said that when they decided they were ready to start a family, they tried to conceive naturally for a year.
When that didn't work, Astrid underwent multiple intrauterine inseminations and then started IVF a week before Christmas in December 2020.
Astrid ended up going through two rounds of IVF before getting pregnant for the first time with her son.
Astrid and Kevin, who met on Bachelor in Paradise's fifth season, announced they were expecting their first child in May 2021.
Following Auggie's birth in November 2021, Astrid and Kevin resumed planning their wedding for the following year.
Astrid and Kevin were a solid couple on Bachelor in Paradise in Summer 2018, but Kevin blindsided and dumped Astrid before the Fantasy Suite dates and ended up trying to win her back during the live reunion show.
Kevin explained on the reunion special of Paradise's fifth season he had a lot of fears and insecurities he had to deal with via therapy regarding his previous romances before being able to commit to a woman wholeheartedly and settle down.
One of Kevin's exes is Ashley Iaconetti, whom he met on The Bachelor Winter Games but split from in March 2018.
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"I will never forget when I left the show, going to my best friends and being like, 'I know we technically broke up on the show, but I'm pretty sure this is the person I'm going to marry,'" Astrid previously told People.
"I feel like I knew right away how well he fit into my life."
Once Astrid gave Kevin a second chance, they seemingly became inseparable.
Back in November 2018, Astrid and Kevin's families reportedly met each other at an event in Toronto, Canada, and then the following month, Astrid -- who worked as a plastic surgery office manager in Tampa, FL -- moved in with Kevin in his hometown of Toronto.
Prior to appearing on Paradise several years ago, Astrid competed to win Nick Viall's heart on The Bachelor's 21st season, and Kevin found fame when he won the debut season of The Bachelorette Canada in 2016 and then appeared on The Bachelor Winter Games in 2018.
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