Carli Lloyd is celebrating a personal win.
The U.S. Women's National Team alum is pregnant and expecting her first child with husband Brian Hollins after a long process of undergoing IVF (in vitro fertilization).
"Baby Hollins coming in October 2024," Carli began a May 1 Instagram post sharing her happy news. "It has been a rollercoaster of a journey to get to this point. We are beyond excited to be parents! I couldn't have gotten through this without my amazing husband, Brian. He truly kept me going."
The 41-year-old continued, "We are so grateful for al the love and support we had from our family and friends."
In addition to her social media post, Carli also penned an essay for Women's Health in which she chronicled her fertility journey—including the difficulty she had trying to get pregnant following her retirement from soccer at the age of 39 and her subsequent three rounds of IVF treatment.
"As a woman, I wanted to get pregnant naturally because that's what our bodies are supposed to be capable of. I felt like my body let me down," she wrote of trying to conceive, noting it wasn't until meeting with specialist Dr. Louis Manara that she felt ready to try IVF. "I was ready to take the next steps."
Nevertheless, Carli described grappling with complicated feelings over her decision.
"The first time I sat in the waiting room," the Olympian began, "I remember feeling really ashamed and embarrassed. I wanted to put my head down, afraid that people would recognize me. I felt as if I shouldn't be there. But as time went on, I realized that we're all human and many women are going through similar struggles."
She continued, "There's a stigma that comes with needing help or needing to go through fertility treatments. It isn't talked about enough, but it's just a different process to get to the same end goal: becoming a parent."
Ultimately, she and Brian were granted their happy ending when Carli became pregnant following three rounds of IVF treatment. Of telling her husband—who she first met in high school—Carli remembered, "We hugged and held each other and, for the first time in a long time, felt at peace."
She added, "It is still hard to believe I am pregnant. It truly is a miracle."
And where she first felt shame and embarrassment over her fertility struggles, today Carli is focused on being a team player and sharing her experience to help others.
"I've conquered the soccer world and I consider myself to be really strong, but I was at my weakest during this entire process," she admitted. "I want to show other women that it's okay to struggle. It's okay to feel broken and to feel hopeless, but to never give up and to keep going."
She noted, "I went from feeling embarrassed, ashamed, and afraid to tell people that I was going through IVF to now wanting to share my story to help others. In times of struggle, we see what we are made of. We grow. We learn. And most important, we have more appreciation for the things we do have in life."