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For us trying for a baby was very far from an easy process.  We didn’t really know why we were being unsuccessful despite trying naturally for about two years.  For some reason it just hadn’t worked. We went for an appointment with the NHS and they told us we wouldn’t be eligible because of my AMH being low and at that time they only funded people with better prospects as well as those that had been trying for more than three years. We therefore decided to start private IVF with another clinic and had lots of tests done, but no one could really explain why it wasn’t working other than the age factor as I was in my late thirties and my AMH was low as a result.   

We did two rounds of IVF with this clinic which were devastating. With both rounds we were advised to put two embryos in but we were completely unsuccessful with all four embryos. The clinic also destroyed all of our other embryos despite us having managed to produce more embryo’s than we expected as we were told they were not good enough quality to freeze as they only froze certain grade embryo’s.   It took us a long time to realise the clinic weren’t right for us.  A big issue was that we had little control over which embryos they used. They were always encouraging us to use two embryos rather than one.  I was heavily medicated throughout and did not feel at my best and felt they were more focused on the numbers than the quality of the embryos and what was right for us. They also kept pushing me towards the donor route and I wasn’t ready.

At that point, I joined an open evening with CREATE Fertility and what stood out was Mild IVF treatment. The previous clinic was pumping me with all these really strong drugs to get as many eggs as possible. The quality of eggs was much more important than the quantity to me. You only need one quality egg. In the open evening it was explained so well, all the different options and routes, that I suddenly understood what would be better for me. Not enough people know about this option. Lower doses of medication made sense for me. It sounded like the right approach, which is why we ended up leaving the other clinic and going with CREATE.

I felt treatment was very personalised and catered for us. I liked that at CREATE we would have complete control over the embryo’s that were used, that only one at a time would be implanted and none would be destroyed until we had finished our journey or without our consent.  I found that really positive. The initial consultation was the same sort of discussion around what our problems were but the solutions this time were more tailored with what our best possible chances would be.

We ended up choosing a three-cycle package which involves three rounds of taking out the eggs as soon as possible and then implanting at the very end. After two failed rounds before coming to CREATE, we realised this was the best way forward for us.

The staff at CREATE were really great. All the doctors and nurses we came across were absolutely brilliant. I felt really comfortable going in for the procedures. They gave me the reassurance I needed. Everyone was really helpful. 

I knew I was pregnant before I did the test and when I did I was overwhelmed with joy. I had given up at that point and I just didn’t think it was going to happen. It was indescribable. And not only did we get pregnant but we were able to have some frozen embryos, which is what we really wanted, not just the chance of having one but the chance of having another as we had always dreamed of having a big family.  

 

I would definitely recommend CREATE to other people seeking fertility treatment, I have already! My experience was so fantastic that I couldn’t recommend CREATE enough.

Not only did we get pregnant but I felt, had it not have worked, we would have done everything we possibly could have done, it wouldn’t have been anyone's fault if it was unsuccessful and I would have been satisfied to look at donor eggs at that stage. At the last clinic I didn’t feel like we had exhausted everything we could have done. I’ve said to people this type of clinic is the one that’s going to give you the best shot of doing what’s right for you and knowing you’ve done everything you could.

One of the reasons we did choose CREATE was that there was a satellite clinic in St Albans which made it a lot easier for me to travel to. I did most of my scans there and then the larger procedures in St Paul’s, the team there was amazing but I wouldn’t have wanted to travel there for every scan. We felt we had the best of both worlds because we had the bigger London clinic but also had the benefit of having a satellite clinic near home which was an important factor for me working in a busy job.

It’s really easy to say when you’ve been through so many rounds of IVF, but for me my advice is that the thing you need to do most is try not to be stressed about it. I strongly believe that if your body is not in its best shape when you’re doing this then you aren’t going to be successful. It’s very hard to explain that because at the start of my journey if someone had told me not to get stressed I would’ve said, what are you talking about? But after a few failed rounds you really think if I don’t chill out, stop stressing and be healthy how is an embryo going to implant in such a hostile environment?  With my last implant I decided to just totally relax and go with it, we even got a McDonalds on the way home from the procedure and flopped out in front of the tv watching comedies all day! To this day I believe that helped with the implantation.  

I also did things like acupuncture and counselling. I had lots of support and that’s really important. You can’t do it on your own and I think some people don’t want to talk about it which is really dangerous because it can take years or at least 6-12 months. Keeping that bottled up inside is very difficult. I was very open with everybody that I was doing it, which isn’t for everybody. But just having some support or counselling I’d definitely advise.  It is a very challenging journey but with the right support you can get through it.  And I was lucky enough to get the dream, and now have a happy, healthy and thriving 10 month old girl who is the best thing that has ever happened to us, is the sunshine in our lives and has made the whole thing worthwhile.