Kristen Doute is pregnant with her and fiancé Luke Broderick’s first baby.
“After our pregnancy loss last year, we decided to start trying in early 2024. I knew my age could be a factor in conceiving, so Luke and I discussed going for an extra push, a little help,” Doute, 41, told People on Tuesday, November 26. “In late summer, we decided to meet with a fertility specialist to learn about our options and what could be the next step if we decided to go that route. The next month was a whirlwind — getting educated on fertility, and eventually hormone shots and preparing my body for IUI (intrauterine insemination).”
Two weeks after the IUI procedure, Doute and Broderick got the good news.
“To get a correct outcome on a pregnancy test, 2 weeks time had to pass and I had to wait it out but in my heart I knew it had worked. I tested one day early and got the big PREGNANT result staring back at me,” she continued. “I was relieved, overwhelmed, happy, excited and nervous. The second I told Luke, he wasn’t surprised, but was SO happy that IUI worked the first time (we were prepared that it may not). He was joyful and beyond excited, to say the least! Our due date is in June and we are really looking forward to expanding our little family and becoming parents!”
The news comes two months after Us Weekly exclusively confirmed the Valley stars’ engagement. Broderick, 33, proposed to Doute on a boat in Maui, Hawaii, in September after two years of dating. “It was a total surprise,” she told Us at the time.
“I knew from the moment we met that Luke was my person,” Doute added. “I am so excited to continue this journey together, now as fiancés.”
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Later that month, the couple revealed that they were focusing on having kids before tying the knot.
“After we got engaged, Luke, you basically straight up were like, ‘We’re not going to plan a wedding until after babies,’” Doute said on their “Balancing Act” podcast in September. “I feel like we are on the baby train.”
Luke added that the pair would “start planning” their nuptials “for a year after” they welcomed a baby.
Doute previously hinted in October 2023 that she and Broderick would be starting their family soon. “A couple of months ago, Luke and I talked about the fact that we are in a very committed relationship. I did go to my OBGYN and we got all good news on that front,” she said during an episode of the couple’s “Sex, Love and What Else Matters” podcast. “So whenever we are ready to start trying, so far it looks good.”
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The Vanderpump Rules alum noted at the time that she had concerns about conceiving since she was in her 40s. “When we had that appointment in August with my doctor, he essentially said that everything looked good and when we were ready to start trying to just give it a few months because of my age,” she elaborated. “Obviously, I think a lot of people know that a geriatric pregnancy is actually over 35 and I am now 40. He recommended that as someone who has not frozen their eggs or done anything for us to give it a real fair shot during our ovulation time.”
Doute shared that being aware of their timeline was key to the process, adding, “If nothing happens in up to three or four months — normally he would give someone a year — but because of my age he wanted a conversation before then. We are still good right now. No stress, no worries.”
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Despite the potential obstacles, Doute had faith that she would be able to get pregnant. “My psychic [told me last year] that I had a boy waiting on the other side for me but that I was not going to get pregnant when I was 40. It was going to be somewhere between 41 and 42,” she explained. “That’s when we truthfully started talking about our plans to try. I decided not to put pressure on myself because I believe my psychic. I am not going to worry about having a baby in 2023.”
Doute and Broderick began dating after meeting at a friend’s wedding in June 2022. They went public with their relationship that December, with Doute divulging how her doubts nearly kept them apart.
“I battled with being, like, your person. I love you so much, but just the thought of being someone’s girlfriend again threw me through a loop because I want to be a wife and I want to be a mother,” she said on their podcast at the time. “Most of all, I just want to be a mother and a partner. And I was so tired of being a girlfriend for a couple of years and then having s— fall apart.”
