Lou's Story
"It turned out that my instinct was right, I was pregnant with a baby boy and he is now here in my arms!"
I’m single; I have no partner and at 36 I decided that I wanted a baby so I started looking into IVF treatment. Initially, I was recommended IUI but then I came across abc ivf and realised that I could have IVF at abc Bristol, which has a higher chance of success when compared to IUI, and it would be roughly the same price as IUI at other clinics.
So I decided to go for IVF in the end. Looking back, I’m very glad I made that decision because it turned out that my fertility issues were a bit more complex than I had originally thought so IUI definitely wouldn’t have worked for me.
I was extremely nervous starting my first cycle because I didn’t really know what to expect. The team at abc were wonderful and took the time to explain each step to me and answered all my questions. The location also made my treatment a bit easier because there is an easily accessible car park near the clinic and it’s not busy so it was easy to drive to; I am a bit of a nervous driver so this was really important to me.
The staff were really supportive throughout my whole treatment and the quality of care I received from them was incredible- honestly, I couldn’t fault it if I tried. One of the nurses even swapped her Saturday off to be with me during egg retrieval as she knew I was nervous. My first cycle was quite intense. I was working lots of double shifts and trying to fit appointments and medication around my work was difficult. With that being said, it was only two weeks where it was intense. Sadly didn’t result in a pregnancy and I was devastated. The cycle had gone really well up until that point so deep down I was expecting it to have worked, then the day before my pregnancy test was due I started bleeding and knew that it was over.
The pregnancy test came back negative and confirmed my fears. I tried to remain as positive and optimistic as possible, though it was hard, and went for a second cycle. The second cycle also went really well and actually felt less intense than my first, mainly because I knew what to expect and was a lot more relaxed through it. As soon as I came out of the embryo transfer appointment the second time, I felt like something was different with me. It was extremely weird, but I just knew that the treatment had worked this time.
It turned out that my instinct was right, I was pregnant with a baby boy and he is now here in my arms! I am so proud and extremely happy with my decision to become a solo mother. The time felt right for me and I just went for it. Yes, the journey wasn’t easy but I did have some support around me and that made a difference.
Most of my family didn’t know that I was having treatment because I knew that they would have an issue with my decision so I only told my work colleagues that I was going through treatment, but the support definitely helped. I took a lot of the medication while I was at work, so it was important that I had some support around and that my colleagues understood what I was going through. Overall, I am incredibly grateful to abc and would absolutely recommend them to anyone who needs help conceiving.