Amanda and Nia’s Successful IVF story | abc IVF

Amanda and Nia’s Successful IVF story with abc ivf

I never thought I would ever get pregnant. When I saw the positive test result I couldn't believe it

At abc IVF we take pride in supporting same sex couples seeking fertility treatment. Our treatment protocols can be tailored to suit the needs and desired outcomes of our patients. From simultaneous reciprocal IVF to shipping donor sperm internationally, our team is here to support you in any way we can.

Our patients Amanda and Nia, a same sex couple based in Leeds, shared their experience with us of having two successful rounds of IVF just less than 2 years apart. They began their journey by Amanda having two IUI rounds which were unfortunately unsuccessful in 2021, they then decided to try IVF with donor sperm which resulted in them welcoming their first born in November 2022. Just less than two years later they decided to have reciprocal IVF where Nia carried Amanda’s egg, which resulted, again, in a positive pregnancy.

The couple began their journey during COVID and hadn't had any fertility checks before that point. Although they were eligible for NHS treatment, they didn’t feel it fit their goals and needs. “Given our age and knowing people that had gone through NHS treatment having poor experiences we didn’t want to go down that route”. Additionally, same sex couples are often placed on waiting lists up to 2 years. “We were in our mid-thirties when we started so we thought our body clocks are moving against us so we needed to get started.” The couple knew they wanted more than one child and didn’t want a delay to impact the success of their treatment.

Amanda and Nia were both interested finding a clinic that had experience in supporting same sex couples. “The branding really fits around same sex couples, so it makes you feel really comfortable straight away. You don’t have to go in preparing to explain that it’s a different situation and that you’re a same sex couple. It felt like that was the norm which always feels nice.” The couple were happy to see our previous patient’s video testimonials. Many of these are same sex couples sharing their treatment experience, available to watch on our YouTube page.

During the Initial consultation process both Amanda and Nia were supported by our lovely team at the abc IVF Leeds clinic “The team at the Leeds clinic made me feel really comfortable, we started having a chat and the nurse explained everything that was going to happen. I was really glad to have had that experience”. After their initial scans and consultations the next step was to find a sperm donor. “We probably would've bought more vials in hindsight. You've really got to think about it if you want multiple children with the same donor.”

During treatment Amanda and Nia were both grateful to have the attentive team of nurses to provide guidance and advice throughout the journey. “The nurses and doctors are amazing. Katie would email me back out of hours and relieving any anxieties was really lovely. On transfer day some of the embryologists came out and they were really approachable. Everyone is light-hearted and it takes the pressure off. Everyone was so lovely we can't praise them enough.”

Nia had some doubts about whether or not treatment would be successful for her. “I have PCOS and I'm carrying Amanda's egg with the same sperm donor as last time. I never thought I would ever get pregnant. When I saw the positive test result I couldn't believe it”.

The two came into the experience prepared for the possibility of needing to try multiple times for their desired outcome and were overjoyed to have a positive pregnancy tests after their first rounds of treatment. “We had an expectation that it does take a few goes, so to be so lucky, I think having such good support from the clinic; giving us all the advice we needed and checking in, really helped us get that success, really taking care and making sure everything is perfect to give you the best chance.”

Amanda and Nia both shared that their workplaces were very supportive during their treatment journeys. “We engaged with our work quite early on and we’ve been quite lucky in terms of appointments because we were upfront about it all they were able to work with us so we could both go to the appointments and because of that Nia felt involved every step of the way and it was very important that we had that flexibility. Which we know not everybody does.” “We are lucky that we work for good employers who allow for that.”

The couple encouraged those seeking fertility treatment to start by booking an initial consultation with abc IVF: “If you can meet the criteria of abc , go with abc IVF because it usually works out more cost effective. We’d recommend to try abc first and if for any reason you can't then look at CREATE. There are no guarantees and sometimes added costs so going with abc which is more cost effective.”