National Fertility Awareness Week 2021

Fertility treatment: when is ‘enough is enough?

After years of being consumed by fertility treatments in the pursuit of achieving the dream of becoming a mother or father, there comes a time for many of us when we have to decide to stop treatment and that ‘enough is enough’. In this moment, emotionally, physically, financially and socially…

National Fertility Awareness Week, 1-5 November 2021 is here.

Gwenda Burns, chief executive of Fertility Network UK said: '‘‘Not being able to have the family you yearn for can be an incredibly isolating experience. Far too often people struggle in silence with fertility issues but together – sharing stories and experiences – we can change perceptions, signpost support and…

Menstrual wellbeing and fertility

“Before I even started my periods, I suffered from crippling pelvic pain every month. When my periods started a year later, the pain got even worse; usually twice a month, I was rushed to A&E and had to be given morphine. By the time I was 14, my quality of…

Katie’s Story

We felt completely unsupported. You don’t even get an initial consultation to talk about your case so that you have some hope, you just need to go away and come back when you’re a certain number on the scales. For some people, they may not need extensive treatment, they may…

‘When I watched the video back there were no swimmers’

‘We had been trying to conceive for around six months with no success. As my wife had been doing ovulation tests, I wanted to make sure I was also contributing my part. I took it upon myself to do a home sperm count test, though I didn't mention this, as…

‘Without some form of intervention, female couples simply cannot conceive’

Holding my nephew for the first time four years ago was a pivotal moment for me and the desire to have a biological child has only continued to grow. I am married with a wonderful partner but as a biologically female couple I knew that getting pregnant was likely to…

The emotional rocky roller coaster ride of IVF

Every patient that walks through our fertility door does so full of hope for the future and potential parenthood. If I had to discuss the emotional and rocky roller coaster their journey was about to take, would our patients sign up? Absolutely, of course they would. As a nurse of…

What defines motherhood?

Faced with the unexpected diagnosis of premature ovarian failure at the age of 27, early menopause had robbed me of my dream to be a mum. Or so I thought. Over the next 18 months we desperately tried to beat the odds, with only a measly 5% chance of IVF…

‘I would definitely encourage other women to do the same’

‘As a trainee midwife I’ve seen what it is like for people who have tried unsuccessfully to have a baby of their own and the joy on their faces when, after undergoing IVF, their dream finally comes true, said Christina, 30. ‘I’ve got three lovely children of my own and…

#FertilityEd – know the facts about PCOS

I was diagnosed at the age of 19 after my mum gently showed me an article entitled ‘Spotty, overweight, and miserable – is this secret syndrome ruining your life?’ It finally hit the nail on the head on how I had been feeling. I took it to my GP, pushed…

Your Future Fertility – Wales

Infertility is a disease of the reproductive system that affects around 1 in 6 of us. The causes are many, the impact is far-reaching and it can have a devastating effect on a person’s life. Even with treatment, success is not guaranteed, so raising awareness of infertility and its impact…

Navigating being childless-not-by-choice

Are you suffering because you don’t have the children you wish to have? Have you recently been faced with this possibility? Have you been struggling with it for a while and don’t know how to move on? MyJourney can help you. MyJourney is a free self-help programme to help you…

‘I’m sorry but you won’t ever father your own child’

In February 2018, my wife and I went to the doctors to check our fertility and I was given the worst news: there was no sperm in my sample. The stand-in GP very bluntly said: ‘Well, that’s the result. I’m sorry but you won’t ever father your own child,’ and…

‘The desire and ache to become a parent is no different’

I look now at my two children and I often wonder how we even got to where we are today. I’m blessed to have two children via UK surrogacy: a girl named Talulah who was five in October and a little boy named Duke, who is two. This is my…

‘I was always scared to say just how bad I felt’

‘Our experience of infertility occurred while my wife and I were in our 20s. We had tried to conceive for a couple of years and finally after undergoing many tests we found out my sperm count was very low and of very poor quality and the chances of us having…

The path to using donor sperm

My first-born Esme was conceived using my sperm after several failed ICSI attempts. You can imagine the joy we felt. Tragically Esme passed away shortly after birth. Her passing was horrific for us and not the purpose of this blog. After lots of support we had the courage to try…

Fertility Fairness for the LGBT+ Community

‘For my wife and I, starting a family as an LGBT+ couple was a difficult journey fraught with worry, physical and mental anxiety (as it is for many). Over the last decade, we have spent in excess of £40,000 to have our three miracle children. At times, the costs were…