Case Studies
MIRACLE BABIES INSPIRED KATIE TO HELP OTHERS
Katie has not one but two miracle babies and both are now lively school children. She is using her experiences to help other couples going through fertility treatment and has set up a new support group with her friend, Sandra Beckwith. She will be among patients and staff celebrating the 'unwrapping' of the new Bourn Hall Clinic in Colchester on 24th April 2010.
"I was told that I may never have children when I was only 26," explains Katie Copeland, a freelance Complementary Therapist, working from home and also for the University of Essex Occupational Health Service.
"I had very bad endometriosis and was treated with the powerful drug Prostat which gave me menopause symptoms; it was so bad I went on to HRT for a couple of years. After this experience I knew there was little chance of falling pregnant so we didn't bother with any precautions."
It was on a holiday to India with her husband Paul that the situation took an astonishing turn and she found she was pregnant naturally with daughter Izzey.
"I couldn't believe it, but I suppose India is one of those places! After a few years we began to wonder whether it might be possible to have another child. We now had a reason for hope, but also felt guilty, as though we were asking for too much after being blessed with such unexpected joy."
The couple decided to go for tests and then it was discovered that Paul too was sub-fertile as a result of a childhood illness. They were referred to the former Isis Fertility Centre, which is now part of the Bourn Hall group of clinics.
"This news made Izzey even more miraculous and we thought we had no chance of repeating this with another child."
However, a new IVF technique had been developed just a few months earlier called ICSI that allows a single sperm to be injected directly into the egg increasing the chances of success when few sperm are available.
"ICSI was still very new and quite controversial at the time," remembers Katie. "But we decided it was worth a try and went for it."
The result was Max who came racing into the world full of life.
"Max is now a strapping, healthy eight year old. We read all sorts of horror stories at the time about the consequences of 'meddling with nature' and we had a worrying trip to London when we had a Down's Syndrome scare. But he was fine and it did prove that all his chromosomes were okay which was another one of the scare stories."
"Going through this experience has made me realise how important a support group can be. You often don't want to discuss your treatment and feelings with friends but meeting a small group of other people all going through a similar experience is immensely helpful."
Katie, together with her friend Sandra Beckwith, who has a four year old daughter as a result of treatment at the Colchester Centre, ran a much valued patient led support group for several years at the clinic. There is now a support group run by the clinic which is led by an independent fertility counsellor.
Sarah Pallett, Clinic Manager at the Colchester clinic, was part of the team at the former Isis Fertility Centre which was acquired by Bourn Hall in November 2009.
She comments, "We attract patients from across Essex, North London and South Suffolk and we have had enthusiastic feedback since the clinic became part of Bourn Hall. The fresh new look has been invigorating, but for me the most rewarding aspect has been the additional know-how and expertise we can now deliver to our patients by being part of the long established Bourn Hall team."
Bourn Hall Group now has two clinics in the East of England. The world’s first IVF Clinic based in Bourn, Cambridgeshire and the new clinic in Colchester, Essex, both of which provide a full fertility service.
