Laura and Andrew’s story

Laura and Andrew tried for a baby for eight years before considering fertility treatment to make their dreams of having a child of their own a reality.

Today, after many ups and downs, they are the extremely proud parents of baby Gabriel born in August last year weighing 7lb 5oz.

Laura’s and Andrew’s story began in 2007 when they started trying for a baby but nothing happened.  Laura’s GP referred her to Mr Gangooly at Broomfield Hospital, where extensive tests revealed that, in addition to Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, she had a blockage in her right fallopian tube. They tried Clomiphene treatment for three months following ovarian drilling, but as this was unsuccessful, the only option was IVF.

Laura said:  “We started our treatment and to begin with everything was fine.  I kept working, and on egg transfer day travelled into London for the collection to take place.  Mr Gangooly was being careful to avoid overstimulation, but there were lots of follicles which was great news.

“Afterwards I rested at home.  I remember receiving the call to tell me 13 of the 14 eggs had fertilised.  I was thrilled, telling Andrew the good news.”

However, as the day went on Laura started to feel dizzy and unwell, feeling sick and out of breath.  When her condition deteriorated, Andrew rang the hospital and Laura was admitted.

He explained: “What happened to Laura was very rare.  Her blood pressure dropped and she started to lose consciousness.  She was admitted to hospital for ovarian hyperstimulation which was severe and extremely rare.  Treatment followed to get her well and back to normal again under the management of Mr Gangooly.”

Plans for IVF were put on hold.  Looking back, Laura said:  “Mr Gangooly, Sarah and everyone at Simply were amazing.  I had a difficult time but they supported us every step of the way, phoning Andrew and keeping in touch all the time. Sarah would ring and ask for updates and we lent on them.  Our families live in the North East, so Simply Fertility became our extended family.”

In the autumn, Laura and Andrew embarked on a frozen embryo transfer cycle.

“And along came Gabriel – our miracle baby,” added Laura.  “He is worth everything we’ve been through and we are utterly besotted.  We’ve been in to see the team at Simply Fertility and they love him too.  We can’t thank them enough for what they’ve done for us.”