Introducing our new Reprofit daughter!

We’re thrilled to announce the birth of our second daughter, Coral. Thanks to our wonderful fertility clinic, Reprofit International, we’ve been blessed with a gorgeous little girl and a sister for Ida. Both come from the same batch of donated eggs created for us in 2012.

Six frozen embryos were left over from that cycle. And a year after Ida’s birth, we decided to try for another baby. A frozen embryo transfer in 2014 sadly failed due to a blighted ovum. But we persevered, heading back to Reprofit in March 2015 to have another go. On 7 December 2015, at Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham, our beautiful Coral was born.

Coral’s birth completes our family. She’s also a testament to the surprisingly good success rates for frozen embryo transfers. In a few short years, FETs have become almost as successful as fresh transfers, thanks mainly to advances in vitrification techniques. So for couples out there with frozen embryos from past cycles, or who are considering frozen donor embryos, let us reassure you: they work!

We’d like to thank everyone at Reprofit for their help, particularly our brilliant doctors, Pavel Otevrel and Barbora Kurecova. And also Margaret Ramsay at QMC, Nottingham, for delivering Coral so perfectly and for her help and guidance over four long years.

As we’ve said before in this blog, fertility treatment is a declaration of love. The journeys of the patients we support remind us that it’s also an act of courage. Even though IVF technology is over 30 years old, the only people who really understand how hard the process is are patients themselves. Well-meaning friends and family feel powerless to help. A minority are unsympathetic, even hostile.

Successful fertility treatment is not a miracle – it’s the result of pioneering medical science and determined patients taking a leap of faith. The process can take years and be emotionally and financially devastating. But we hope our good fortune will give you hope.

So thank you, Reprofit, for our two special daughters, and for the joy you give to couples like us across the world. And Coral – welcome to the world!