Jhaenelle and Tim's successful IVF journey| abc IVF

Jhaenelle and Tim's successful IVF journey with abc ivf

"The staff were fantastic at abc... I never once felt like just another woman or another patient."

We were trying for about 3-4 years and then we just weren’t successful.
Then we decided to look into it and we found out that my situation was close to PCOS where we didn’t know when I’d be ovulating even though there were eggs present. Also Tim's sperm mobility was a little bit slow, so together that made it quite difficult for us to conceive without help.

The NHS were not very helpful for us. We had GP appointments where they did a few blood tests as well as a sperm check. Because at that time Covid hit, they weren’t very helpful in allowing us to get a clear idea of what was going on our next stages.

abc was the first clinic we went through treatment with after coming across one of the ads on social media. I think our first consultation was at Harley Street and it was around COVID time. I was just happy that they were still able to carry out a service because yes, it was COVID. But when it comes to fertility timing is important and people had other needs.

The way everything was explained was really informative, but it wasn't too much information. The treatment being as close to natural as possible was very appealing to us .The staff were fantastic at abc. I left a review and said I never once felt like just another woman or just another patient. I never felt rushed. They were so thorough.
and they explained everything well, they would tell what they recommended which was helpful and informative without being an overload of information you didn’t need.

I really felt we were kept completely informed and could get as much information as we needed, but we weren’t bombarded with information either.

To anyone who wants to start the process I’d say make sure you’re mentally prepared for it, do some research to understand the exact steps.

When we found out we were successful it was amazing. You’re meant to wait for a certain amount of time, 2 weeks, and I remember doing the test in the downstairs toilet, and then telling Tim I was pregnant. But we weren't celebrating yet. I had to do the 2nd test at work and then it definitely said pregnant, and we were just over the moon. Very, very emotional.

It was a long road. It's been about five years, the whole process and then after COVID, I remember everybody that we knew came out of COVID pregnant and we were still waiting. So it was like our moment had finally arrived.

The first consultation, was around COVID and then they found a polyp, which meant that I couldn't actually have the treatment until it was removed. With that, we went back to the NHS because it's a simple enough procedure and to cut costs as well. That did take over a year about 18 months we waited for them to do that for us. In the end, we actually ended up going private, so that was another cost. And then as soon as I was fit and able to actually start treatment, we did.

I had a massive fear of needles, but I knew I had to do it and I knew what it meant If we were successful.

I remember that medication wise, they arrange medication to be sent or to be collected from the pharmacy, but everything was just so efficient.

We have already recommended abc ivf. Somebody had their transfer the other day!

We’ve recommended to two couples. Struggling with fertility is such a personal thing , people treated us differently; people with children. Somebody even mocked us for having a cat, and it is just hard. I would definitely recommend it for anyone and I'd also say don't wait because time is time is so precious.

 Advice I would give to other women and couples starting their treatment journey is I would say start as soon as possible and there is absolutely no shame in getting fertility treatment or seeking advice and seeking help, again, as soon as possible.
Tim's even had conversations with his friends about just getting checked out.
Just knowing where you stand before you actually start trying.

You definitely need to be honest with your employees because you can't plan when you go to the clinic. It's all what your body is doing. If they need you to go up there for a blood test tomorrow, you need to go. Luckily for me, there was it was one direct service to St Pauls, so I'd leave work and quickly pop in. But my employers were very supportive, so that really helped.