Lauren and Dale married in September 2016 and started trying for a baby in 2018. They faced infertility challenges due to Dale's low sperm motility and began IVF in 2021. Despite setbacks, they finally had their beautiful baby boy Euan in 2024 and their family was complete. Read their IVF story below:
Dale and I married in September 2016 after three years of being together. Having always been very career driven, I wanted a career in the police force before starting a family – believing I had all the time in the world! Not long after getting married, I began my police training in March 2017.
In 2018, we began to think about a family and what the future may look like. We actively began to stop trying not to get pregnant and thought we would let fate decide. After 9 months, and no success, I began to worry about why it hadn’t happened yet.
The stress began to take its toll on me, so we decided to pay for private fertility tests to try and figure out what the problem was and to see if it’s something we could resolve. We had our tests at Care Fertility Manchester after doing our research, they were a highly rated clinic, local to us, and very friendly when we spoke to them, so my mind was made up!
The tests found that Dale has low sperm motility, so we began to do everything we could to improve it. He gave up smoking after 13 years of being a smoker, we began fertility medication, and tried all the old wife’s tales – pineapple juice, legs in the air, you name it and we tried it, but with no luck.
By the end of 2018, we had been to our GP and were told to ‘stop stressing’ as we were both young and told it will happen.
We were back at the doctors in 2019, and finally referred for tests on the NHS – even though we knew what our issue was, they had to be done again via the NHS to even stand a chance of receiving treatment on the NHS.
In 2020, the tests were done, and as we already knew Dale's sperm motility was still low, and we were placed on the NHS waiting list for fertility treatment in 2021. By this point, we were both ecstatic as we had been trying for 3 years and were both totally deflated. It seemed that everyone around us was getting pregnant and having children so easily, it was heartbreaking.
By mid-2021 we had our first appointment at Care Fertility Manchester, where we both had to undergo all the tests again to confirm our fertility issue and work out a treatment plan. This was the third time repeating these tests, by this point it seemed to be a repeatable cycle with no progress. After the tests, we discussed with the doctor who explained the IVF process and what we would do next. Finally, it was like things were moving forward and our excitement grew.
I began the hormone medication in December 2022 with a view to monitoring my cycles, and then the injections began in early 2023. I completed the course of three daily injections and went for routine scans throughout the treatment. The first scan resulted in me being told my eggs were growing but to continue and I was given an increased dose to inject.
Less than a week later I had another scan and was told that there was still only one follicle visible. I was told I could still proceed to egg collection with this one follicle or stop all treatment and try again on different medication, as I hadn't responded to this medication.
I made the very difficult decision to stop all treatment. To say we were heartbroken would be an understatement, and by this point I began to wonder whether the issue was with me, and if carrying a child just wasn’t meant to be.
We had discussed other options to expand our family, such as adoption, but deep down I knew I wanted to experience being pregnant and having a child of my own. I had to wait for my normal cycle to resume again and after three months, and a review with the doctor, we began another course of treatment to try and gain some follicles. For this cycle I was given an alternative medication but continued to inject three times a day. I tried not get my hopes up again, and when the scan came around, I was petrified. We walked into the treatment room ready to be told it hadn't worked again - but to our complete joy there were lots of follicles. We went ahead with the egg collection and were able to retrieve nine eggs, eight of which were fertilised.
In March 2023, we had our first fresh transfer. I was convinced it had worked and thought that anything out of the ordinary was a symptom of being pregnant. However, 11 days later my period came. I still waited until test day, but I knew it hadn’t worked. The test was negative. We were both heart broken and decided to take some time to heal. We went on holiday, but things weren’t right. We’d stopped communicating and didn’t know how to help each other, so we decided to try counselling through Care Fertility Manchester.
In August 2023, we felt ready to give it another try, so we had a second transfer but with a frozen embryo this time.
The test was positive.
We couldn't believe it, and it took some time to sink in! By the 6-week mark, we were ecstatic and began to share the news with our loved ones. I began to bleed, but after several scans and check-ups, everything was okay.
My pregnancy was progressing normally, and I loved every second – despite the sickness! However, by week 23 I went to the pregnancy triage as there were reduced movements and I was feeling generally unwell. I was diagnosed with pregnancy induced high blood pressure and from 23 weeks attended the hospital daily for blood pressure monitoring, had weekly growth scans, and was being monitored closely for pre-eclampsia. I was taking blood thinning injections daily, and had two lots of blood pressure medication, 3 times a day.
The hospital became like my second home and the stress took its toll on my pregnancy. It was no longer enjoyable, and I was terrified we were going to lose our baby after fighting so hard to get to where we were.
At 37 weeks, I was induced after my blood pressure became unmanageable. The labour was its own battle, and I had to wait three days for a bed in the delivery suite, despite having contractions from the first hormone gel. My contractions were stopped with medication, and I was finally sent for the induction on the delivery suite, already at 3cm! I wasn’t responding to the medication, and my baby’s heart rate was dropping with every contraction. After 19 hours in labour, and my baby's heart rate failing to recover, I was taken for an emergency C-section.
The C-section came with its own problems, as I bled heavily, and they thought that maybe my bowel had ruptured.
But on the 14/04/2024 our miracle was born – our beautiful baby boy!
We were both elated and cried harder than we’ve ever cried before. The recovery from the C-section was tough, I developed an infection and my wound reopened, meaning I had to be readmitted to the hospital. Due to the complications, it made those early stages of motherhood difficult to enjoy, and my emotions were all over the place – I felt angry and guilty as I had wanted this so much and wasn’t enjoying it like I thought I would.
But at the time of writing this, our little boy Euan, has just turned 12 weeks old and he is truly incredible. And despite the difficult start I am so pleased to say I love motherhood. He has made me feel complete in a way I don’t think anything else ever could.
Our IVF journey was difficult and tested us in so many ways. It was so mentally and physically demanding, and a journey I wouldn’t wish upon anyone. But despite everything, all the treatment, tests, medication, difficult pregnancy, and even more difficult labour, I’d do it all again! The outcome is worth every single second. What kept us going throughout was the end goal, the thought that it only takes one time for it to work – the thought of not having our own child and never experiencing pregnancy was worse than the setbacks and negative tests.
If you keep going there is always that little bit of hope – no matter how small!
To anyone feeling demotivated or like that day will never come, please don’t give up. It took us 7 and a half years to get our little miracle, and he is so worth it. Stick with it, listen to the doctors, because they know what they are doing – even if it isn’t necessarily a step you want to take! The process is long, and it can’t be rushed, but that happy ending will come.
Also, listen to one another – even though it may seem like it is just one of you going through the treatment and physical aspects, the journey is one you take together as a team.
Once we were placed on the waiting list, we received an appointment with the doctor and a treatment plan quite quickly, and things moved quicky after that. But if you need time, take it! Don’t underestimate how much of a challenge, and a change, it will be – make sure you are fully prepared and in the best space mentally and physically. Before starting the process, we had no idea how long it would take and were oblivious to how physically demanding it would be.
The only regret I have is that we didn’t try sooner! I was naïve to think we wouldn’t face any issues and would be pregnant within a couple of months like most people believe.
Through sharing our story on social media so many people have reached out to us, to either wish us well, or let us know that they have had similar issues and experiences. It’s crazy how common fertility issues are and how many couples go through IVF. I found comfort in reaching out and talking to others about their story – it was good to know we weren’t alone and that there was still hope for us.
We are so lucky that we still have 6 strong, frozen embryos and hope to have another transfer in the future to extend our family. Whether we are lucky again and the second transfer works or not, we are so thankful to have the little family we already have, and another baby would be a bonus!
We will be forever grateful to Care Fertility for making our family possible.
More success stories
Many couples have successfully achieved their dream of starting a family at Care Fertility. Here are a few inspiring stories:
Ashley and Jason's story: Ashley and Jason began IVF in 2020 after three years of trying to conceive, with Ashley facing endometriosis and COVID-19 delays. Their fertility treatment at Care Fertility Sheffield brought hope, but also challenges.
Luke and Jacob’s Surrogacy Journey: Luke and Jacob navigated the surrogacy process with our support and are now proud parents to a beautiful little girl. They found detailed guidance and emotional support invaluable in their journey.
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