US actor Mandy Moore shares her IVF struggle before surprise third baby

Mandy Moore underwent “unsuccessful” IVF treatment before welcoming her third child into the world.

The 42-year-old American actress has recalled a period after giving birth to her and Taylor Goldsmith’s sons Gus, 5, and Ozzie, 3, when she had a round of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) as an “insurance policy” until she was ready to have a third baby with her husband.

She told the Not Skinny But Not Fast podcast: “I had the extreme privilege of being able to get pregnant and carry both of my boys.

“So, I did a round of IVF, and it was unsuccessful, we didn’t get any viable eggs, no embryos.

“And I was like, okay, well, this just settles that. If this is something that is meant to be, it will happen naturally.

“Otherwise, I am so grateful and so happy with these two guys and our family will be complete.”

They ended up welcoming daughter Louise in September 2024, and the star joked that “Lou just had to show up”.

She added: “She showed up very, very surprisingly. We were not trying, but obviously we were open to it because of the IVF of it all.”

Moore also reflected on how she is “still emotionally recovering” from having three kids in quick succession.

However, she said, “I do feel lucky that energetically, pregnancy was very easy for me.

“I didn’t suffer from any sort of postpartum symptoms and stuff, so I feel like I had a relatively easy journey all things considered.”

Moore has been open about her struggles, including facing the prospect of not being able to conceive naturally.

In January 2024, she wrote on Instagram: “There was a time when I thought I might not be able to have kids.

“I remember when the doctor told me there was a slim chance of getting pregnant … and then lo and behold, to our surprise, I became pregnant with Gus.”

Last month, it was reported that Moore is set to executive-produce an untitled project that will see her reunited with This Is Us producer Julia Brownell.

The HBO Max series will be written and executive-produced by Brownell, who is also on tap as showrunner, and Deadline says that while Moore doesn’t have an acting deal in place right now, she is expected to star if the project gets greenlit.

The series, which is reported to be in development, will focus on two families coming together to discover an extended family they could never have imagined.