'It's painful.' Irena Gilbert on the one question she wants you to stop asking.

This post includes discussion of pregnancy loss that may be distressing to some readers.

The Bachelor's Locky and Irena Gilbert – who met on the 2020 season of The Bachelor, got engaged in June 2022 and were married in March 2023 in a ceremony held in Melbourne — have shared the sad news that they have suffered a second miscarriage.

In an interview with 7Life, Irena opened up about the couple's grief as they come to terms with experiencing another miscarriage, which followed the couple's first at the end of 2020.

"We’ve been trying to get pregnant and try to start our family and we were absolutely over the moon when we found out we were pregnant last month," Irena told the outlet.

"Unfortunately, a week later we suffered a miscarriage, and... it was emotional, hard and obviously heartbreaking."

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Irena shared that she first realised something was wrong when she woke one morning and there was a "slight bit of bleeding," she said.

"I just straightway didn’t feel right."

Irena attempted to assure herself that everything was fine. "'Oh, you know, a little bit is normal, it’s fine. I’ll just see how I go,'" she recalled telling herself. However, when the couple went to the hospital, their fears were confirmed.

“It all happened so quickly, which at the time was terrible, but I’m kind of glad it happened quickly.”

When Irena first found out she was pregnant earlier this year, she and Locky told their parents and Irena's close friends. “I think that the hardest part was that we had told our parents and those closest to us the news,” Irena admitted.

“And then we had to tell them obviously the bad news, so they were elated and then also devastated.”

In a conversation with The Morning Show, Irena has urged people to be more mindful before asking couples when they plan to start a family. 

Image: Instagram @irena_srbinovska

"Unfortunately Locky and I just suffered yet another miscarriage. We had one a few years ago quite early in our relationship and you know since we got married we've been trying to start a family and it's been slow and not going to plan but we are just like any other couple with their struggles," she shared. 

"It's obviously devastating. And yeah, we have been leaning on each other a lot and supporting each other, which has been really good. And I'm at the point now where I'm like, I'm hopeful that eventually we'll have our family but for now, I just want to try and help others out there as well."

Irena went on to say that since marrying Locky, they've been bombarded with questions about having a baby. 

She's asked them to stop. 

"It's painful when you're going through something so traumatic and then getting asked those questions. So I guess that's why I want to just talk about it publicly," she said. 

"Because it's not okay to constantly ask you know, a woman when they're having a baby just because they’re married."

Irena posted her sad news on Instagram on Monday morning. While announcing she had become an ambassador for the upcoming Red Nose Day, Irena also spoke about her recent experience. 

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A post shared by Irena Gilbert 🌹 (@irena_srbinovska)

"Locky and I suffered another miscarriage, which has only made me more eager to join and raise awareness for the cause.

"Like most Australians, I have grown up with Red Nose Day, but what many of you may not know is that they offer support to people that have been impacted by miscarriage. One in four pregnancies ends in miscarriage, which is estimated to be about 100,000 annually in Australia. And after talking to my friends and family about my experience, I have realised just how many families are impacted by miscarriages.

"As a nurse and as a woman who hopes to be a mother someday, I hope that my story helps someone out there."

If this has raised any issues for you or if you would like to speak with someone, please contact The Red Nose 24/7 Support Line on 1300 308 307.

This article was published on July 3 and has since been updated with new information. 

Feature image: Getty + Instagram/irena_srbinovska.