After multiple miscarriages, Sarah celebrates arrival of baby Zayn

Children’s author and editor, Sarah Khan, 37 from Cheltenham explains how TFP Oxford Fertility helped her to give birth to baby Zayn after four miscarriages.

I’d always imagined I would have children. After marrying Faisal we started planning our family, but after conceiving I experienced a miscarriage. I was emotionally and physically drained, then things got worse. Over the next three years I experienced three more miscarriages.

I sought help from my GP and an investigation revealed I had an underactive thyroid and like only 3% of the population, a uterine septum. I discovered that this is an extra wall of tissue in the uterus in which embryos can implant and be left without needed blood supplies. I underwent an operation to remove the septum, but it didn’t help, I didn’t fall pregnant again.

We were then referred to Oxford Fertility where fertility tests revealed that although I was only 35, I had the egg reserve of a 45-50-year-old woman. I felt both shocked and relieved. Although it was frightening to discover that I had very few viable eggs left, at least it explained the years of miscarriages.

Armed with this knowledge, we decided to undergo IVF, including pre-implantation genetic testing (PGT). The screening would help doctors to analyse each embryo, to be sure it had the right number of chromosomes, as an embryo having the wrong number of chromosomes can often be the reason behind a miscarriage.

During treatment I produced only one viable egg. I was disappointed but I kept reminding myself that ‘you only need one good egg’. I was right and my one good egg fertilised. After a few days of development a few cells were removed for PGT to be conducted. Although this felt scary, I knew this test would clarify the chances of a successful pregnancy.

Thankfully the test confirmed that the embryo had the right number of chromosomes. This was a huge relief.

Despite experiencing previous miscarriages, this pregnancy was different. I felt confident, armed with the results from the genetic testing that the embryo had all the chromosomes it needed. My confidence was well-placed and my pregnancy continued to full term and Zayn was born in May this year. A bundle of joy, Zayn has transformed our world.

Oxford Fertility is so welcoming, friendly and not at all intimidating. The team is extremely professional and explain everything clearly. We were given an accurate picture of our situation which actually made me more confident. I can’t recommend Oxford Fertility highly enough – in fact I already have recommended them to friends and family!

Our journey to the family we’d always wanted was long, but I always had hope. It was this cushion of hope I knew I could always fall back on. Now, I look forward to reading my books with Zayn and being inspired by life with him to create exciting new tales.