Charlotte and Tom’s Story – Ovulation Induction

When Charlotte and Tom from West Meon began trying for a baby, they didn’t realise the patience they would need to complete their family. However, thanks to Ovulation Induction treatment, they are now besotted parents to daughter Tiggy and baby son Radley.

Charlotte and Tom married in 2010, and had no reason to believe they would have problems conceiving a child. “We decided that we would like a year alone together before trying. We were healthy, and young, so we didn’t think we’d have any trouble” recalls Charlotte. After a year of trying without success, the couple grew concerned and began to find questions about children difficult.

The couple’s fertility investigations began with a scan of Charlotte’s ovaries, an appointment that Charlotte attended with her Mum. Charlotte was devastated to be told that she has Polycystic Ovaries (PCOS). “I’d heard a lot about PCOS and knew the problems it could cause with having children, I was heartbroken” recalls Charlotte. The consultant recommended that the couple see Dr Sue Ingamells at Wessex Fertility for the best chance of having a baby.

In July 2012, Charlotte had her first appointment at Wessex Fertility with Dr Ingamells, who confirmed the diagnosis of a severe case of PCOS. At this point, the couple were recommended Ovulation Induction treatment with a drug called Gonal F. Gonal F is a hormonal treatment given through a series of self-administered injections to stimulate ovulation. The couple began their first cycle and were shown how to administer the injections by a nurse. “We were told that if we didn’t conceive a child after 4 rounds of Ovulation Induction, we would have to look into other options” remembers Charlotte. “I didn’t find the injections too bad after I was shown how to do them; luckily I’m not too squeamish! I had a few side effects from the drugs such as headaches and mood swings.” Sadly, after a two week wait for a pregnancy result, the first round was not successful, leaving the couple devastated.

The couple had two further cycles of treatment, both of which were unsuccessful. Increasingly conscious of the four attempts of Ovulation Induction advised by Dr Ingamells, the couple embarked on their fourth round of treatment. After another agonising two week wait, Charlotte and Tom were delighted to discover that they had finally been successful! Charlotte gave birth to a baby girl named Tiggy in 2013, and couldn’t have been happier. “We were over the moon following the birth of Tiggy, and felt so lucky that we had been successful within 6 months”.

In 2015, the couple decided it was time for them to try for a second child. “We felt a lot more confident this time” recalls Charlotte. “The doctors and nurses knew the exact level of drugs that would be required, and were likely to work for us”.

Charlotte experienced the same drug side effects as previously, but was delighted to find out that this round had also been successful. 9 months later baby Radley was born. “Again we were absolutely delighted, we knew that our outcome is not the case for many couples, some people have to wait for years to get to where we are”.

“We had a wonderful experience at Wessex Fertility. Everyone made us feel very welcome, the receptionists were always very friendly and were always at the end of the phone or an email if we had any questions about anything, which made the experience so much easier” Charlotte remembers. “Dr Sue Ingamells was brilliant and I felt like she always had time to answer our questions despite how busy she must be, we have even recommended the clinic to a few of our friends”.