Katie Holmes 'desperate' to give Tom Cruise a second child

Katie Holmes is panicking that she can't give Tom Cruise a second child -- and is desperate to try IVF treatment, it has been claimed.

Katie -- who is frantically trying to get pregnant to please Tom and to give Suri a brother or sister -- pleaded with the actor to let her try IVF, but due to his devotion to Scientology, and the church's disapproval of fertility treatment, her requests have fallen on deaf ears.

The Top Gun star -- who has two adopted children with ex-wife Nicole Kidman -- seeks Scientology advice on all aspects of family life, which is making Katie's dream of having another child very difficult.

A source said: "Katie's concerned about Suri being lonely as she's kept in a bit of a Scientology bubble.

"She wants her to have a playmate.

"On top of that, Tom's made it clear that he wants another child -- and what Tom wants he usually gets.

"Family is very important in Scientology and that was once of the reasons Tom chose Kate as a wife -- because she was young and healthy and as keen to have children as he was.

"The problem is that Katie struggled to conceive a second time and she doesn't know what to do about it.

After a bout sickness last month, Katie, 29, thought she might have been pregnant -- but after a scan -- she found it to be false alarm.

"Tom keeps telling her to focus on Scientology methods of creating 'positive energy' to become pregnant," the source added to Britain's Now magazine," which he's convinced worked the first time around, but Katie's losing patience.

"She's getting frantic and the worst thing is she knows that the more stressed she becomes, the less likely she is to conceive."

Katie's desire to undergo IVF has caused tension between her and Tom, as the controversial religion of Scientology -- of which Tom, 45, is a devout follower -- frowns upon fertility treatment.

Before seeking medical help of any kind, a couple must first go to church officials and undertake an "auditing" session.

According to reports, the hormone medication Katie would have under IVF treatment is against the ethos of strict Scientologists, who reserve most of their apathy for psychiatric medication, and believe drugs are 'essentially poisons'.

Adds the source: "Katie feels she's caught between a rock and a hard place at the moment.

"She desperately wants another child to please Tom and give Suri a companion, but that just isn't happening by itself.

"Time is ticking away," the source says of the pair - who are preparing to celebrate Suri's second birthday next month, "and the next time Katie has a scan, she really hopes it'll show that she's expecting another child."