Case Studies
NHS FUNDING MADE BABY DREAM COME TRUE
"I still can't believe that he is here," says Alison looking down at her seven week old son sleeping peacefully in his father's arms. The couple conceived on their first cycle of IVF treatment at Bourn Hall and returned to thank the staff.
Alison explains that she was in her early thirties when she realised that things weren't happening.
"Alan and I had been together for five years and felt ready for children. We had bought a house with space for a family and got engaged. My body clock was ticking so we decided not to wait any longer."
A number of the couple's friends had had difficulty conceiving so they were aware that it might not happen quickly, but as time went by they got more concerned.
Alan explains: "We realised that there is only a small window of opportunity each month in which to get pregnant. So we started looking on the Internet for advice and bought ovulation kits and so on. But nothing was happening."
"Our lives were in limbo," said Alison. "It was very difficult to plan, we kept putting things off hoping that I would be pregnant, like deciding on the wedding dress or booking the honeymoon. It was always on my mind."
Returning from their honeymoon the couple agreed to go for professional help and made an appointment with their GP. Alison first went to see the doctor on her own and was sent away with a specimen bottle for her husband's sperm.
"It was only when I got home and thought about it that I realised I wanted us both checked out in parallel. By this time I was in my late 30s and didn't feel that I had much time."
The GP was sympathetic and referred them to the hospital for blood tests and within weeks they saw the specialist.
"I can't fault the hospital, the staff were all brilliant," says Alan. Alison was given a course of treatment with Clomid for two months and when this did not work, Tamoxifen for a further three months.
After no result the couple returned to the consultant who immediately referred them to Bourn Hall for IVF treatment.
"Immediately, coming up the drive to Bourn Hall I felt calmed," says Alan. "We felt we had come to the right place. The staff were so welcoming.
"Our first visit was to hear a talk from the Medical Director Dr Thomas Mathews. It was informal and informative and we felt reassured. Twenty-five couples were in the room and he explained to us very clearly our chances of becoming pregnant. He said that half of us would become pregnant on our first attempt, and half of the remainder on the second attempt."
Alison continues: "When we came for treatment we felt very excited. Every test seemed another step forward towards success. We were really positive. We knew we could have several funded cycles and so decided to view the first as a sort of 'dry run' to check everything was working. We didn't have any expectations."
"The nurses explained everything clearly and at one stage they thought it might not be possible to progress. They first described what they would expect at that stage and then broke it to us gently but objectively how we were doing. Fortunately everything did go ahead but the experience showed us that we were being kept fully informed."
The only other issue the couple faced was with the 'sniffy drugs' which made Alison sneeze. The doctor recommended she changed to injections and she was relieved as she felt her body was now getting the right dose.
Harry was born at full term, in just 3 hours at Bedford Hospital, and has changed Alison and Alan's lives in a way that they feel hard to quantify.
"It is just fantastic," says Alison. "I still can't quite believe it."
Alan agrees: "It is a major change, but one that we have welcomed. We feel as though we have waited a long time to become parents. I can't thank Bourn Hall enough."
"We were very fortunate to live in Bedfordshire and be able to get funding from the NHS, it has meant the world to us."
