IVF baby - our dream to come true

Hi All,

So here goes. Honestly, we never thought we would ever do this but after a good few months of deep thinking we have decided to set up this GoFundMe page.

This journey to become parents has by far been the most difficult challenge we have ever been faced with and sharing it with others, putting it out there makes it that much more difficult. Though we already are parents in our hearts.

Our story.

I was diagnosed with endometriosis last year, extremely late, when I was 40. For sometime, we had already been trying for a baby, when it suddenly became clear why it was not working, endometriosis. The first shock was when our fertility specialist doctor told us my right fallopian tube needs to be taken out completely due to a 6 cm big endometrium. Additionally, on the left side there was another endometrium, which grew on and over several organs. However, we all hoped that he could save that fallopian tube during an operation. Therefore, I underwent the operation in July last year only to wake up and get told that unfortunately they could not save the left fallopian tube either so it would need to be operated later on again, closed off, leaving us zero chance to get pregnant naturally. The doctor told me there had been a bigger problem on the left side then they had anticipated because the endo had grown in and over the ovary, the back of my uterus and even into part of my colon.

On top of this, I was told I have low ovarian reserve (AMH 0.53 pmol/l), which means I am not producing as many eggs as most women my age would be expected to. At this point they told us the only way to becoming parents was through IVF. This was a massive shock and a lot to absorb.

As for many women, it has always been my dream to become a mum. After some research, I started the process of IVF, it was very intense including lots of appointments, scans, blood tests, tablets and injections. Unfortunately, I was not eligible for IVF though the NHS, firstly due to my age and secondly, because of all my other health concerns which could hinder the pregnancy. Naturally, this was an emotional rollercoaster with both ups and downs. As you can imagine, it was extremely hard to sit there in the doctors office and listen to him say how slim our chances really were. In the past year I have seen my dreams fall apart constantly, but thankfully I have the most wonderful partner in the world and we pull each other up when one of us falls. Despite this, it has been mentally, physically and financially exhausting.

We went through 2 cycles of IVF

treatment in the past year not including transfers. The plan was to freeze all the embryos to see if there was any from my own eggs that could work. Unfortunately, there was none. After the first stimulation, I had two eggs one from each ovary, they were both fertilized but were not good enough to freeze as they didn't develop further after 5-6 days. I had 5 eggs for the second time but sadly, none of them resulted in any embryos which could be frozen.

In the meantime, my AMH dropped to 0.29 pmol/l so the doctor advised us to continue with donor eggs.

Unfortunately, the treatment over the past years has cost us approximately £12000, therefore we are finding it hard to financially support the next IVF treatment with donor eggs.

To be able to continue our journey, we would like to reach out to the generosity of others, hoping to gain support in funding our next attempt. In our journey we have encountered countless challenges and heartbreaks, but we are trying to stay hopeful and ask for help in keeping my biggest dream alive.

Thank you for reading our story and please share it on your social media platforms.