Agnes's IVF story
"I honestly cannot describe the joy we felt"
As a patient, especially at the beginning of the process, you often need a lot of reassurance but it’s so difficult to filter though all the information online and that’s why I want to share my story. I want to give others hope and reassurance that this process can work and your dreams can come true.
My partner and I had been together for 16 years and actively trying to conceive for 4 years when we started looking at IVF. We did try to go through the NHS, however the process was taking too long and when COVID hit things became even slower so we decided that we’ll go private.
We researched clinics for a long time before we came across abc ivf. The price of treatment definitely caught our attention and they had great reviews online so we decided to look into it further. When I started reading about their connection to CREATE Fertility and their milder approach to treatment, I knew that this was the right clinic for us. Personally, I don’t really like modern medicine and prefer to use natural remedies where possible so the idea of IVF with minimal drugs really appealed to me. We took the leap and booked an Initial Consultation and Scan.
We visited the Harley Street clinic for this appointment and although I had done my research, I still found the consultation extremely informational. The scan went well and then we had a great conversation with the Nurse Consultant about the details of treatment, the success rates, all the risks involved and I found this very useful. I understood that it might not work the first time, but I still felt very reassured. It really stood out to me how kind and reassuring the team at abc ivf were and this made a huge impact on me as a patient.
Starting treatment, I felt scared. I had never done anything like this before but each monitoring scan went well. One by one I found each of the consultations very positive and reassuring and this kept me going.
In August I had reached the egg collection stage; my eggs were collected but I was informed that I was at risk of developing OHSS and advised that we don’t go ahead with the fresh embryo transfer. The team recommended that we hold off and we listened. We went back in November, once my body had recovered, and had a frozen embryo transfer instead.
It was really difficult having to wait, however I can honestly say that it was worth the wait and I appreciated the fact that the clinic put my health first.
After the embryo transfer, I knew I was pregnant. I had a feeling that something was different in my body and I really held on to that. I tried to remain as positive as possible until we did the test. When the pregnancy test result came back positive, I honestly cannot describe the joy we felt. It’s not a feeling I’ve ever had before but it was wonderful!
I am really grateful that I then went on to have a really easy pregnancy with no unwanted symptoms. I loved being pregnant; it was amazing! We were expecting a boy, however we were pleasantly surprised when our baby daughter was born. She is simply perfect.
Life as parents is incredible. Of course, I am a little bit more tired than before but I wouldn’t change it for the world. She is such a good baby; having her honestly feels like a miracle.
If you are at the start of your journey or already a patient, my advice would be to keep as positive as possible and believe. Believe in the science and the knowledge of the team; they know what they are doing. I took all their advice and followed all their instruction and all that was within my control; you just have to have faith in the rest. In our case it worked the first time and we are a pair of extremely happy patients.
So, I just wanted to end by saying a big thank you to the abc ivf team and also to CREATE and Professor Nargund. We would do it all again if we had to and I would absolutely recommend them to anyone who is struggling to conceive.