AceShowbiz -

Tyra Banks opens up on her struggles with fertility. The "America's Next Top Model" host/judge reveals that she put off children when she was younger to concentrate on her career. Now she is ready to start a family and has undergone IVF procedures in hopes of conceiving.

"Since I was 24, I used to say every year, 'I will have kids in three years,' " the 41-year-old star says. "I kept saying it over and over again. Because my business is very entrepreneurial. I'm not for hire, so I have to do everything. I kept trying to find that time for that to happen."

Now the former supermodel has everything she has ever wanted, except for children. "When I turned 40, the one thing I was not happy about is that I did not have kids," she tells PEOPLE in an interview during which she tears up at one point. "I'm like, 'Damn, the clock is ticking!' "

"I've had some not happy moments with that, very traumatic moments," she continues. "It's difficult as you get older. It's not something that can just happen."

Despite the hardships, Tyra Banks who has been dating photographer Erik Asla for two years stays positive, "I hope [for kids]. I don't just want one child. I want a litter! And I want to be the kind of mom where my child can come to me for anything."