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A couple from Bristol who were struggling to have a baby now have a three-year old son and a five-month-old daughter who probably would not have been born were it not for preimplantation genetic testing (PGT).

BCRM has celebrated 40 years of IVF in Bristol this year with a party at the centre in the company of many 'made in Bristol' IVF babies 💜 None of these births would have been possible without these early pioneers. BCRM - Bristol Centre For Reproductive Medicine are excited to be attending the 'A Child of Science' production in June at the Bristol Old Vic. The story of a remarkable medical breakthrough that changed the world as we knew it. A Child of Science charts Robert Edwards, Patrick Steptoe & Jean Purdy’s creation of IVF and the army of women whose bravery helped them achieve the impossible.

We have had a long road and it has been a complicated one.

Although they were united by their desire to have a baby, the mixed Thai/British heritage of would-be parents Jarmmy and John Greenwood gave the couple a broader-than-average perspective when they were researching how to approach their IVF treatment.

When Laurie Ledger-Hardy found herself unexpectedly single in her mid-thirties after the break-up of a long-term relationship she didn’t start looking for a new partner, instead she began researching a suitable fertility clinic to find out about the possibility of becoming a solo mum.

Michelle Hutchings’ baby Ava Rose, born on 11 April 2023, is the result of a double donation – donor egg and donor sperm – a possibility she is convinced not enough people are aware of.

An unusual appeal is being launched in the West Country: to find the first people conceived and born in Bristol as the result of IVF so they can be included in celebrations to mark 40 years since the first IVF baby was born in the city back in 1984.

Diego, a researcher from Spain, said: “It was a long wait, and we learned many life lessons in the meantime, including this memorable advice from another trying-to-conceive dad, which was: Always have a Plan B.” Mareike said: “It’s a hard journey, but we learned the most important thing is to go your own path and find what makes you happy. Live your life your way.

After the birth of Carly and Steve Gibbens’ second IVF baby, they had the chance to introduce their first IVF baby – by then two years old – to the BCRM consultant responsible for his creation, and they told him her name was “Dr Magic.” Carly said: “Amanda Jefferys gave us two babies when we weren’t sure we’d ever have any, and she supported us through a really challenging time in our lives. For us she’ll always be Dr Magic.”