Case Studies
BABY JOY FOR MUM WHO CONQUERED HER FEAR OF INJECTIONS
Lisa Cane and Gary Stephens had known since they first met that they wanted to have children together, but after 3 years of trying, they began to wonder if something was wrong. Their GP referred the couple from Luton to their local hospital for tests.
The tests showed no serious problems with either Lisa or Gary, but it was noticed that although Gary"s sperm count was normal, his sperm had low motility. It was thought that this may be causing their difficulty in conceiving.
"Once we had the test result back, our GP offered us IVF, funded by the NHS," says Lisa. "It was very straightforward – he sent us a letter confirming we had funding, and we sent a copy of it to Bourn Hall. They replied confirming everything and we took it from there. The staff at Bourn Hall have been fantastic all the way through."
Following an initial consultation, Lisa was supplied with medications to regulate her hormones and prepare her for treatment. She required daily injections which Gary administered. "It was a hard process – I hate injections! – but Gary was able to give them to me at home which was good," says Lisa.
"We also had lots of visits to Bourn Hall, and everyone there was brilliant!"
Finally, Lisa"s eggs were collected and fertilised in the laboratory using a process called ICSI (Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection), where a single sperm is injected in to the egg. The resulting embryo was transferred back into Lisa, and three weeks later a pregnancy test showed a positive result.
"It was amazing! We had to wait another week to confirm that I was pregnant, but it was fantastic news. Everyone we spoke to seemed amazed that it had worked first time – I just think we were incredibly fortunate."
Baby Gracie was born on 19 June 2010, and Lisa and Gary were ecstatic.
"It was a long, hard process, but it was worth every minute!" says Lisa. "I"m loving being a mum – it was what I was born to do!
"We recently took Gracie to visit Bourn Hall, and everyone there was so pleased to see us. It"s amazing to think that that"s where it all began."
