Kristen Doute Is Pregnant, Expecting First Child with Fiancé Luke Broderick: "Miracle"

Kristen Doute is pregnant and expecting her first child with fiancé Luke Broderick.

The Valley cast member, who previously appeared on the first eight seasons of Vanderpump Rules, announced the exciting news to PEOPLE on November 26.  

"After our pregnancy loss last year, we decided to start trying in early 2024," Kristen told the outlet. "I knew my age could be a factor in conceiving, so Luke and I discussed going for an extra push, a little help."

The couple met with a fertility specialist at Southern California Reproductive Center, and they ultimately utilized intrauterine insemination (IUI) to help conceive their "little miracle." 

"The two weeks following the IUI procedure felt like years," Kristen continued. "To get a correct outcome on a pregnancy test, two 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."

Once Kristen saw the positive result, she felt "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)," she added. "He was joyful and beyond excited, to say the least!"

Kristen Doute's fertility journey

The former SUR waitress has been open about her desire to start a family with Luke. On Season 1 of The Valley, Kristen told her then-boyfriend that the journey to parenthood could be a long one. 

"I can't just get knocked up like any day of the week and I feel like it might be really difficult," Kristen explained to Luke, who is nine years her junior. 

"I'm 40. I'm five years past a geriatric pregnancy, like that's f-cked up," she said. "I don't want to keep talking about that or thinking about it or saying it out loud because I feel like, it's like I'm putting that out into the universe. I'm trying not to put all this stress and pressure on myself."

Kristen also discussed her pregnancy loss on an episode of her and Luke's podcast, Balancing Act with Kristen Doute and Luke Broderick.

"It's really f-cking terrifying, because you always think, 'What's wrong? What did I do wrong? Could I have done something different?'" Kristen said on the podcast, noting that she wanted to share her story to help others who had been in similar situations. "And my doctor and friends have told me, inside and out, up and down, that there's no reason — you can Google 'til the day you die — there is literally no cause. They don't know why."

"Back home in LA traffic," she wrote in an Instagram Story after the couple touched down in California. "Another day, another fertility appointment," she added, along with the fingers crossed emoji.

Fast-forward to November 2024, and the couple is now expecting their first baby together.