‘LAST CHANCE’ BABY FOR COUPLE WITH SECONDARY INFERTILITY
‘LAST CHANCE’ BABY FOR COUPLE WITH SECONDARY INFERTILITY
Natalie and Andrew Thompson’s first baby, Oscar was conceived within three months of trying, so when they decided to try for a second baby after their son turned one, they weren’t expecting any problems that time either.
After a year with no sign of pregnancy they consulted their GP. Both were in their late twenties and healthy, and since no contra-indications showed on the blood tests or pelvic scan which followed the GP appointment they were advised to keep trying.
However, there was still no sign of a baby after a further 12 months, so at that point the Thompsons put the wheels in motion to begin private fertility treatment.
Natalie and Andrew are among the one in 20 couples in the UK who experience secondary infertility, which is an inability to have a subsequent child after already having one or more, and NHS funding for fertility treatment is not available for a second baby.
The couple, who live near Taunton, identified Bristol Centre for Reproductive Medicine (BCRM) as their preferred clinic because of its high IVF success rate and favourable reviews, and they decided to buy a three-cycle Access Fertility financed IVF refund programme package.
Natalie said: “Private fertility treatment is never cheap, but this package provides for up to three cycles of IVF, an unlimited number of frozen embryo transfers and the guarantee of a 100% refund if you don’t have a baby.
“It was the best decision we could have made because we really had our money’s worth – although we didn’t know that when we made our choice.
“I’m a qualified nurse, so I understand not all medical problems have an easy solution, but secondary infertility is challenging. If you had no problem first time around, it’s hard to get your head around it not being so easy next time.
“We got to know some of the doctors and nurses at BCRM pretty well as I underwent three full cycles of ICSI treatment and ten embryo transfers in total at the clinic.
“Finally transfer number ten - using the very last of the embryos created and frozen at BCRM - was successful.
“And in July we were very relieved and thankful to welcome Ember Rose into the world, our long-awaited baby daughter and sister for Oscar. He is the proudest big brother, and we are the happiest of parents.
“Andrew and I would like to say a huge thank you to the team at BCRM for our little miracle, and for being so consistently supportive and reassuring throughout our two years of treatment. Their positive reputation is very well-deserved.”
