Nadia Bartel has revealed the heartbreaking pregnancy loss she suffered in July last year when she miscarried amid her IVF journey with partner Peter Dugmore.
The mother-of-two, 40, who shares Aston, 10 and Henley, seven, with her ex-husband Jimmy Bartel, shared the news to TikTok on Friday.
She explained she had a ‘missed miscarriage’ when she was seven weeks pregnant, saying she found the experience incredibly ‘tough’.
‘I had a pregnancy loss, it’s what they call a missed miscarriage in July last year. It was just the early stages of my pregnancy so I was seven weeks pregnant,’ she said.
Nadia went on to reveal she underwent a dilation and curettage (D&C) procedure to remove tissue from inside her uterus.
‘Even though it was early stages I just found the whole thing so tough,’ she recalled.
Nadia Bartel has revealed the heartbreaking pregnancy loss she suffered in July last year when she miscarried amid her IVF journey with partner Peter Dugmore
‘I think when you are pregnant, even if it’s early days, you imagine your life with the baby… you get so attached to your pregnancy and your baby,’ she continued.
‘When something like that happens it’s really disheartening.’
‘I’ve gotten to the point that I feel like it is really important for me to really normalise it and just take the stigma out of talking about IVF, infertility, miscarriage,’ she added.
‘It’s something that I know is deeply personal and I totally understand when people wouldn’t want to talk about it.
‘It is really hard opening up that conversation especially when you are going through it and you’re really struggling.
‘It’s so consuming and you’re so emotional and I see so many people talk about it after they’ve had success.
‘But I think it’s interesting to also share stories and talk about it when you’re going through it.’
Nadia said one thing that helped her get through the pain of losing a baby was being able to connect with other women who had gone through the same experience.
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She explained she had a ‘missed miscarriage’ when she was seven weeks pregnant, saying she found the experience incredibly ‘tough’
‘I am sharing this because what I found gave me so much hope and made me feel better was talking to other people about it,’ she said.
‘Learning more from other people who maybe were a similar age to me and had also gotten pregnant.
‘Or maybe they experienced a miscarriage and then they went on to become pregnant, I just found it helped me a lot.
‘Also the more people I spoke to about having a miscarriage, so many people had gone through it themselves.
‘I feel like back when I was pregnant 10 years ago with Aston it was something people would never talk about. I’m finding it so helpful to connect with people.’
The Henne founder also said she has been leaning on her partner Peter for support as they go through the IVF journey together.
‘It is also really tough because I’m almost 41 so at the age of 41 your egg quality and your ovarian reserve declines a lot,’ she continued.
She revealed her Anti-Müllerian Hormone level – her total egg count – has ‘drastically’ declined in the last 18 months, which has made the process more difficult.
The mother-of-two, 40, who shares Aston, 10 and Henley, seven, (both pictured) with her ex-husband Jimmy Bartel, shared the news to TikTok on Friday
‘I’ve actually been researching so much about increasing egg quality and increasing your chance of getting a healthy embryo at my age,’ she said.
‘I’m trying a lot of different things so hopefully I have success soon and then once some of these things work for me I’m really excited to share them with you all.
‘My heart goes out to anyone that is going through IVF or has experienced pregnancy loss because it’s so tough. Here for you and sending all the good vibes.’
It comes after Nadia opened up about her wedding and baby plans with Peter during an appearance at a Grey Goose party for the Australian Open in January.
‘Can you believe that, he hasn’t [proposed yet],’ Nadia joked with the Herald Sun at the Melbourne event.
‘Do you know we’ve barely even spoken about it. It’s funny, as you get older, I’ve been married before, we live together, I don’t think about it that much.
‘But it would be nice. We will get married one day, once the boys are a bit older.’
Nadia added that she still had hopes to use IVF to have a child with Peter.
‘It’s so special to be able to carry a baby with your partner, it’s a unique experience and would be nice for Pete and I to have that,’ she said.
Nadia and Peter made their first public appearance at the 2024 Australian Open after dating for two years.
Red Nose provide support to anyone affected by the loss of a pregnancy, stillbirth, the death of a baby or child.
Reach out to their 24/7 Grief and Loss Support Line on 1300 308 307 or visit rednose.org.au/support.
