Thurston couple share IVF journey ahead of National Fertility Week

A Thurston couple who used IVF to get pregnant with their son have spoken out about their experience ahead of National Fertility Week, which starts on Monday.

Childhood sweethearts Hannah and Chris Deacon thought getting pregnant would be easy but after several years of trying they went to their GP who referred them for hospital tests.

Hannah was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, a common condition that can impact fertility, and was dealt a further blow when tests uncovered that Chris had a low sperm count caused by a childhood condition.

“We had to do some battling as all of the proposed treatments seemed to focus on me rather than Chris but then a different hospital consultant looked at both our histories and took five seconds to decide we needed IVF – it was the best day of my life,” said Hannah.

The Deacons were referred to the Bourn Hall Clinic in Cambridge where they started treatment in January 2013 using a process which directly injected one of Chris’ sperm into one of Hannah’s mature eggs.

Their first treatment failed but second time around Hannah knew she was pregnant even before taking a test.

“I just knew because I felt different,” she said.

“It was amazing. The only way to describe how I felt is that before I was pregnant I felt broken and that on that day I felt as though a small piece of me was put back together.

“Gradually throughout my pregnancy I was pieced back together and now I am fixed.”

Bourn Hall will be offering medical advice on aspects of fertility and treatment and wellbeing advice from health support groups at its fertility fayre on November 5.

Dr Nikolaos Polydoropoulos, fertility specialist and lead clinician, said: “Eighty per cent of couples will become pregnant within one year, so if you have been trying for longer than this then you should seek advice.”