We longed for a family for five years and IVF helped make that dream a reality

Diagnosed with PCOS at the age of 17, Vicky was put on the pill with little guidance on how the condition might affect her fertility. With a later diagnosis of endometriosis, it would take Vicky and husband Matt five years and a round of IVF to welcome baby Freya.

Vicky and Matt's story

Vicky, 34, a Job Coach for special needs students and Matt, 32, an e-Commerce Manager at Volvo Cars, met by chance in a pub in Basingstoke in January 2016. The couple knew early on in their relationship that children were a part of their future together, and began trying for a baby soon after their wedding in 2020. 

For more than a decade, Vicky had been on the contraceptive pill - a measure put in place by her doctor at the age of 17 when her absent periods led to a diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). However, when she came off the pill in 2020 and her periods didn’t return, she suddenly became aware of the impact on her fertility the condition posed. 

“At the time, I was told my only real option was to go on the pill. But there was little discussion about how it might affect my ability to conceive and I was told it would ‘probably be fine’,” explains Vicky.

“I had lots of other symptoms, I knew it wasn’t just PCOS.”

With concerns that she wasn’t ovulating, Vicky opted for a private scan to check whether PCOS was still present. After her diagnosis was reconfirmed, Vicky was prescribed various fertility drugs in the hope of regulating her periods and encouraging ovulation. 

“I was originally put on Metformin and another medication to regulate my insulin which I was told would help make my periods more regular. In 2021, I was then put on Clomid for seven months and later Letrozole for another five months.”

Whilst taking the Letrozole, the couple fell pregnant for the first time in 2023 but sadly miscarried at nine weeks. They decided to take a break from trying to conceive, taking time to come to terms with their loss. But during that time, Vicky began to identify other symptoms that led her to believe it wasn’t only PCOS she was battling. 

“The specialist knew almost instantly that I had it.”

Following their miscarriage, Vicky and Matt were told by their NHS fertility consultant that the next step would be IVF. But when Vicky began experiencing painful periods and IBS-like issues, the couple knew there was more they needed to investigate and pushed for an endometriosis diagnosis. 

The couple were initially told that it was unlikely that Vicky had endometriosis, however, their research online of the symptoms left them unconvinced. As their application for NHS-funded IVF was submitted, the couple chose to seek a private diagnosis for endometriosis so that it didn’t delay their treatment starting. 

“Looking at the symptoms online, I had almost all of them. So, Matt and I agreed that we wanted to know everything that was on the cards before we started treatment,” explains Vicky. 

“We were seen privately for a laparoscopy and hysteroscopy which confirmed I had endometriosis with tissue found and removed from my right ovary and pouch of douglas.”

“The specialist also agreed that the IVF would stand a better chance now that the tissue had been removed, so we were glad we intervened.”

“We wanted a more reassuring experience than what we’d had so far.”

By August 2024, Vicky and Matt had NHS funding in place to start IVF and were soon referred to TFP Wessex Fertility for treatment. 

“We were given a shortlist of about four based on our location, but we thought TFP’s website looked friendly and informative.They had great reviews and the best success rates from what we could tell which was reassuring,” says Vicky. 

Matt adds, “I also had a colleague who that had previously had treatment there and when I mentioned it to him he opened up about his journey which was really good to hear.”

The couple were invited to the clinic for some initial fertility assessments. For Matt, this showed that whilst he had a high volume of sperm, they weren’t all moving in the right direction. As a result, IVF with ICSI (intracytoplasmic sperm injection) was recommended. 

“They didn’t seem too worried and said that because the volume was so high the fact that a few of them didn’t swim that well almost didn’t matter. But essentially this is what IVF is perfect for and the addition of ICSI would alleviate that issue ,” says Matt. 

In the lead up to their treatment, the couple also made some lifestyle changes to put themselves in the best position for a positive outcome. 

“We signed up to HelloFresh for the whole 12 weeks to try and incorporate more fruit and veg into our diets. I’m not a massive drinker anyway but I was mostly drinking water and we both started taking supplements and paying more attention to what went into our bodies,” explains Vicky. 

“We do think it made a difference and we both felt a lot better for it,” she adds. 

“My period wasn’t playing ball.”

IVF treatment typically starts on the first day of a patient’s period. However, Vicky and Matt experienced an initial set back when her period didn’t come.

“It’s the one time in the whole journey where you actually want your period to start and it just wasn’t turning up. When it did eventually come, I was in town and called the clinic straight away so we could get everything underway.”

Vicky admits finding the first part of her treatment fairly easy. Her body responded well to the hormone medication required to stimulate egg growth, with monitoring scans showing that follicles were appearing quite quickly. 

“It got to the point where we were told we could finish the medication early. I did the trigger shot and then we were in for our egg retrieval on the 26th August.”

Six eggs were retrieved from Vicky’s ovaries as part of her treatment, but the couple admits being slightly disappointed not to have gotten more. 

“Our monitoring scans indicated between 20-25 follicles so the doctors had predicted we’d get a lot more,” explains Vicky. 

“By the time the egg retrieval came around, I was feeling so sore and full down there that we’d expected a better outcome.” 

“We heard him talking to the embryos.”

By the 31st August, Vicky and Matt were ready for their embryo transfer. Of the six eggs, three had matured into healthy embryos - one was prepped for a fresh transfer and the remaining two were frozen for later use. 

“Anthony, the embryologist, had called beforehand to say we definitely had two and that he was continuing to monitor one overnight for us,” Vicky explains. 

“When we went in for our transfer we could hear him talking to them, saying ‘this is it now, it’s up to you’. It was so sweet and such a surreal experience.” 

Six days later, Vicky found herself in a lot of pain at work, which only increased as the days went on. After calling the clinic, they were concerned she had developed OHSS (ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome), a risk associated with fertility treatment. 

On the Monday, Vicky and Matt were back at the clinic for a scan which confirmed a 4cm build up of fluid in the abdomen. The couple were advised to take a pregnancy test whilst at the clinic. Despite both feeling panicked at the thought of testing too early and getting a false positive, the clinic needed to know what pain relief to give. 

“So, we were in the toilet of the clinic and we’d been given a test a bit like the COVID ones. We’d obviously spent years doing tests but never one like this so when the result came up, neither of us was sure what it meant.

“We knew that it would mean we had COVID but weren’t sure if it was the same for pregnancy. So, we were sat in the waiting room, holding this little test, waiting for the nurse to confirm whether we were pregnant or not!” 

When the nurse finished with another patient, she came over and, to their delight, confirmed that Vicky and Matt were pregnant for the second time. 

“We were so happy, and the staff were so happy for us too which meant everything.”

The nurses at the clinic explained that OHSS can appear once the pregnancy hormone begins to develop. So though it was good news in terms of her treatment, Vicky was told that her symptoms were likely to get worse before they got better and could last up to three months. 

By Wednesday, Vicky was at the clinic once again, with a scan showing the fluid had doubled and was approaching her lungs.

“From the clinic, I went straight to the hospital and stayed there for two nights whilst they monitored me for blood clots,” says Vicky. 

As predicted, for three months Vicky suffered with the symptoms of her OHSS, including inflamed ovaries that left her in a lot of pain. Thankfully, the build up of fluid wasn’t bad enough to need draining - instead, she was advised to sit with her legs bent, eat a good amount of protein and patiently wait for the fluid to reduce. 

“It was a really weird experience,” Vicky recalls. “I was in so much pain but at the same time I was pregnant and that sort of made the pain understandable and more bearable.”

“We’re so grateful to have one.”

In May 2025, five years since they first started trying, Vicky and Matt welcomed baby Freya, named after the clinic she was conceived at. 

But despite experiencing the joy of parenthood, Vicky and Matt both agree that the thought of putting themselves through it again with one of their frozen embryos is a little daunting. 

“I’ve read that OHSS can come back if you get pregnant again so that’s a worry for sure,” explains Vicky. “But there’s also the anxiety around whether it would work second time round, the risk of a second miscarriage and the mental impact that would have.” 

“We had so many years of tears and disappointment that right now we just want to enjoy feeling content. We were never ones that wanted a big family, we just wanted a family. 

“We’re so grateful to have Freya.”

“Don’t stop living during the hard times.”

For Vicky and Matt, what got them through a difficult five-year fertility journey, was continuing to do the things that bring them joy. 

“It would have been so easy to say no to a lot of things, to not go on holiday, for example, because we could be pregnant,” says Vicky. 

“But looking back, we realise that that would have meant putting our entire lives on hold. For half of our relationship we were trying to have a baby and we’re so grateful to have had those experiences to get us through the hard times.

“You’ve truly got to stay positive and have hope that it will happen one day.”