Lala Kent Says She's Conceiving Second Child on Her Own Via IUI

In a new interview with Cosmopolitan, the Vanderpump Rules star revealed that she's turned to IUI -- Intrauterine insemination -- to conceive her second child.

Kent, who is already mom to daughter Ocean, 2, from her relationship with ex, Randall Emmett, told the outlet she was passionate about having more kids, whether or not she had a partner to do it with.

"I've had friends who had gone the IUI route but were having trouble getting pregnant. It was the next step they would take before doing IVF (in vitro fertilization). They were all in regular, normal -- I call them cookie-cutter -- relationships. And when I had my life go in a very different direction, I knew I wanted more kids," Kent explained.

She continued, "It was such a strange thing that was happening because everyone would tell me, 'You're going to find somebody.' And I got to thinking, Why does my wanting more children need to involve another person? I think if there's a will, there's a way. I knew a donor was an option, and I knew IUI was an option."

Per the Mayo Clinic, "IUI boosts the chances of pregnancy by placing specially prepared sperm directly in the uterus, the organ in which a baby develops." Another name for the procedure is artificial insemination.

Kent, who ended her relationship with Emmett in late 2021 following allegations of cheating, workplace abuse and more, said she felt the need to open up about the process to de-stigmatize the idea that women need a partner in order to have children.

"I felt this need to start talking about it because there are women out in the world who sit there and wait for a man to come into the picture and are just yearning for children even though there is another way to get pregnant," Kent told the outlet. "If you want children and are only waiting for 'that person' to come into your life, let's talk about a different route that we can take."

The 33-year-old reality star says nothing is off the table for her when it comes to avenues to conceive -- noting that she's ready to explore both IVF and adoption if IUI is unsuccessful.

As for where she's at now in the process, Kent said the donor is secured and she's excited about what's next.

"I'm in the process of tracking my periods and ovulation days, and I’m in close connection with my fertility specialist," Kent said. "We've got all our ducks in a row. The donor is secured, which I'm super excited about."

"It took a really long time to find the donor because, you know, it's strange... It's like you’re shopping for your partner but only to have a child, so there's a lot that goes into it," She added. "But the moment I found this donor, it just spoke to me. He felt like my baby daddy. So that's where we're at. The moment I can go forward with the IUI, then we'll be there."

The process will play out in the upcoming season of Vanderpump Rules, airing Tuesday, with Kent telling Cosmo that her storyline will be one that's "way more emotional" than people are used to seeing.

"Because I had Ocean in a very typical relationship (versus how I’m going about things for my second pregnancy), I didn't expect to have to make the experience personal for myself. This way of having a baby is very scientific, where you're choosing a donor and going in and basically having scientific sex, right? You're still doing the whole spreading of the legs and putting something in there, but it just all feels very doctor-y," she shared.

"So for me, the biggest hurdle is trying to make it personal and make it beautiful still," Kent continued "And I think you're going to see on this season of Vanderpump, the way I try to make this whole process feel warm and close to my heart -- it's a very different experience, I will say that. It's extremely different."

"Last season was raw, but this is the aftermath, where dust has settled and it’s going to look very different," she added, teasing what fans can expect to see post-Scandoval. "But I think it's going to be great."

Season 11 of Vanderpump Rules kicks off today at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.