Hi everyone,

My husband Glenn and I never imagined we would be here asking for help, but after five years of trying to have a baby, we are now turning to private IVF in the hope of finally becoming parents.

Our story actually started over 12 years ago, when we met at a mutual friend’s birthday party. We instantly clicked and stayed in touch for years. Back then we were friends with benefits, but after waiting for Glenn to make things official and getting tired of waiting, we eventually went our separate ways.

Over the years we would occasionally reconnect, but during lockdown everything changed. We spent hours on the phone every day — six-hour calls, late-night FaceTimes that lasted until the early morning — getting to know each other again and realising the feelings we had all those years ago had never really gone away.

Once lockdown lifted, we started dating properly. Thirteen dates later, we both knew this was it. We realised how much we had always cared for each other and how life had somehow brought us back together at exactly the right time.

Fast forward to 2026, and we’ve now been trying for a baby for five years.

After trying naturally for over a year, we reached out to the NHS and began fertility testing. We were initially told we qualified for NHS-funded IVF, but because I was diagnosed with endometriosis and ovarian cysts, doctors recommended surgery first to improve our chances.

In February this year, I underwent surgery to remove the endometriosis and cysts. On the day of my operation, we were told for the very first time that there was also a minimum AMH level (egg reserve level) required to qualify for IVF treatment.

A month later, we received heartbreaking news: my AMH level is just under 2%, while the qualifying level is 5.4%. We were told we no longer qualify for NHS IVF and that our only option now is private treatment.

We were devastated.

After years of believing we qualified for NHS treatment, we suddenly found ourselves facing costs we simply cannot afford. Had we known about this requirement earlier in our journey, we would have started saving years ago or explored private treatment sooner.

I recently turned 30, and while we still have hope, we also know time matters.

We are not expecting anyone to fund this journey for us, and we understand times are hard for everyone. Even simply sharing our story means the world to us. Any donation, no matter how small, would help us move one step closer to becoming parents.

We also hope that by sharing our experience, it may help others going through fertility struggles know what questions to ask earlier in their own journey.

More than anything in the world, Glenn and I desperately want to become parents.

Thank you for reading, sharing, supporting, and keeping hope alive for us.

With love,

Rose-Anna & Glenn