I'm glad my game could be the exception! :) And don't worry, the side content - whilst necessary - is not causing me to drag my heels. I actually really want to get it done so I can move on to Act Three. I have so much stuff planned for the next act!
As for Gwen and Chloe, the in-game reason is that the MASSIVE blast of energy they took messed their energy signatures up so badly that having kids would result in the magical equivalent of a black hole. The out-of-game reason is that they tie into too many other stories and events and making pregnant renders/workarounds for all of them would be a living nightmare.
They will be able to get pregnant later, though :)