I have lost four children through having three ectopic pregnancies. By my third ectopic both of my fallopian tubes were removed.
With the help of Barts our first daughter was born at the Royal London Hospital in 2005 after one cycle of IVF there were no issues during my pregnancy and she was born by c-section as the scans showed she was breach.
In August 2008 I began another round of IVF with the hope of having a second child. During my treatment I produced 43 eggs which produced 23 embryos and then I had to have my treatment halted in September as my ovaries were at risk of going into hyper-stimulation.
At my 16-week scan cysts were found on the baby?s brain and I had to endure a worrying eight-day wait for another scan to further investigate the cysts.
The scan showed the cysts had disappeared however as the blood test for Down syndrome was quite high I then had to have an amino there and then and wait for another agonising three days for the results.
Thankfully the results came back as negative for all of the tests and after 18 hours of labour and an emergency c-section during which they found out she was breach our second daughter (after receiving treatment from you and your colleagues) our 2nd daughter was born in October 2008 at the Royal London Hospital.
In September of last year I spoke (for the first time) at my church's
Women's Conference about my infertility and the problems I had been through during the 14 years it took me to have my two children, which included the break up of a long term relationship.
After speaking to the conference I realised that there are many women who have been through similar circumstances and it can help to hear about
someone else's experience. This has led me to the decision that I would like
to help in whatever way I can women (and men) who are dealing with fertility issues or about to embark on IVF. I don't believe there are enough women who speak out on this subject and I think it important for women of all backgrounds to be able to talk about this issue.
I have become a member of the Barts and the London NHS Trust, however I was wondering if there were any other ways in which I could help the fertility clinic.
I am more than happy to share my story and experiences with other groups or couples and to talk about how I coped through the whole experience. I am also happy to talk to Dr?s or nurses who might be undertaking specialist fertility training.
So far I have not been able to find a way that my experiences can be of use or help to others.
If you have any ideas please let me know.
Thank you.