After 5 years of trying to conceive we decided on IVF

Our story
We decided to undergo IVF treatment after 5 years of trying to conceive. We had no issues conceiving our first child but after 2 years of not falling pregnant, we underwent the necessary tests through the NHS and private Gynaecologists to try and find out what the issue was. All our tests came back clear and both my husband and I were absolutely fine. But after 2 further years of trying unsuccessfully to fall pregnant and trying every holistic option available; yoga, diet, ovulation kits, acupuncture, reflexology, etc, we decided IVF was the only option left. We agreed that we were only going to do one round of IVF and that if it didn’t work then we would close this chapter and accept that we were blessed with one child and that was all we were ever meant to have.

Fertility Show
We researched lots of different clinics and went to 5 initial consultations. We were set to go with one particular clinic but decided to attend the fertility show in London first to learn more and because the founder of the clinic we were interested in was one of the speakers at the show. We learned a lot from the different people speaking and I remember the point that one of the speakers made about the importance of the location of the clinic you choose. She made this point in relation to people going for IVF abroad. She said that obviously, the cost is less in other countries but that giving yourself the best possible chance of IVF treatment working is by taking as much stress out of the process as possible. This really stuck with me because the clinics I had been looking at were in places like Harley Street, whilst obviously not a clinic in another country, this still would have meant train and tube journeys for me and over an hour each way, with public transport running on time that is! At the show we also learned about HFEA and that the clinic we were planning to go with had not in fact scored very well.

Herts & Essex Fertility Centre
We were just about to leave the show when my husband spotted the Herts and Essex Fertility Centre stand, I recalled my gynaecologist recommending them so we decided to go and speak with them. After that conversation, we were very interested in the clinic and booked an initial consultation. On our way to the clinic for our consultation, the first thing I thought was how easy it was for us to get to. The doctor we spoke with was extremely thorough in his explanation of the whole process, was able to answer all of our questions and didn’t make us feel rushed (like other clinics had). We were certain this was the clinic for us. Every single person we dealt with at the Herts and Essex fertility clinic; from the doctors, nurses, reception staff to the finance department were so helpful and kind. They all contributed to making the experience of IVF so much easier. They were all so supportive and we are forever grateful to them for that.

Low expectations
We had very low expectations of IVF working because all you ever hear are the unsuccessful stories of people having to do a ridiculous number of treatment rounds, so when we got a positive pregnancy test after the first round of treatment we could not believe it.

Baby boy
We had our wonderful baby boy in the spring of this year (2019) and we could not be happier – he is just perfect.

Location
If you are considering this clinic against ones in London please do think about the journey you will have to take in proximity to where you live. I fell ill during my treatment as I developed ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome which wasn’t pleasant, but being able to do a 20-minute journey by car to the clinic to get the treatment I needed made it so much easier to get through.

Thank you
Finally a huge thank you to the Herts and Essex Fertility team for making a dream that seemed unreachable for so long come true and to all of you for the support and care we received – you are all fantastic.