Becoming A Family: Charity’s Egg Donation Story

Our guest blogger this week is Charity Massey, who had successful donor-egg treatment at Reprofit with our help. She writes movingly about the decision to have egg donation after meeting her partner later in life, the setbacks they endured, and the joy of bringing their son, Rafe, into the world.   

I always wanted to be a mother. But life didn’t quite follow the timeline I had imagined. I met my life partner, Richard, when I was 37. With our jobs taking us to different countries, followed by enforced separation during Covid, it wasn’t until I was 41 that we were finally living together. We then started thinking seriously about building a life together and starting a family.

Between 41 and 43 I had three miscarriages, two at the 12-week mark, right at the point I had let myself believe the baby was safe. Each was equally devastating. So much hope, so much pain. 

After numerous private and NHS tests and consultations we were told that – although I was fertile and healthy and could become pregnant relatively easily – the quality of my eggs was the problem.

We were advised to keep trying naturally for a year. It was, they said, a numbers game. IVF in the UK was financially out of reach for us. And, by this stage, I was also beyond the age limit for treatment at UK clinics, many of whom have a hard cut-off at 43.

Then I discovered I needed a total hip replacement. All our attempts to conceive had to stop. The operation took a long time to happen. Once I had recovered, I was 46. We felt that our chances of conceiving naturally had effectively disappeared. The door had seemingly closed on something I had wanted all my life.

The hardest part wasn’t the miscarriages or the passing of time. It was the sense that, because I was an older woman, I was somehow being unreasonable. After seeing so many doctors, I sometimes felt as though I had been written off – that wanting to carry my own baby was somehow silly or selfish. 

I encountered so many barriers, medical and financial, that it became difficult to see a way forward.

Finding Your IVF Journey

Then, almost by chance, I spoke to an old friend and shared what we had been through. She recommended Your IVF Journey, as they had helped another friend of ours very successfully. It felt like my last-chance saloon, but she encouraged me not to give up on my dream of becoming a mother.

From our very first contact, Becky and Ben were extraordinarily kind, sympathetic and helpful. They listened to us, understood our situation and helped us explore options we hadn’t previously considered: egg donation and IVF abroad.

I cannot overstate what a difference they made. After years of uncertainty, loss and feeling as though we were running out of options, suddenly there was a path forward. Becky was knowledgeable, responsive and reassuring, and she made what could have been an overwhelming process feel manageable. 

She was a champion in my corner, and she has continued to be that person for me, even after treatment.

We decided to explore treatment at Reprofit in Brno, Czech Republic. From the moment we made that decision, everything seemed to fall into place, Richard and I both had a strong feeling that this was right for us.

Finding our egg donor

One of the things that felt particularly daunting was the prospect of finding an egg donor. We understood that in the UK, waiting for a donor match can take years. With time so precious to us, that was difficult to contemplate. With Reprofit, I had a donor match within six weeks.

The information provided about the donor, including her suitability, university education, and the fact that she was a proven donor, gave us reassurance and confidence. The matching process was comprehensive and transparent. It was extraordinary to think that, after everything we had been through, we could move forward so quickly.

I will be eternally grateful to our egg donor: a woman I will never meet, whose name I will never know, but who made everything possible for us. She gave us something extraordinary: the opportunity to have the child we had longed for.

I know that egg donation can feel daunting for women who have always imagined conceiving with their own eggs. It can bring up all sorts of questions and emotions, and I would never presume to tell another woman how she should feel about it. 

I can only share my own experience. For me, IVF with a donor egg was absolutely the right choice.

An exceptional experience at Reprofit

The experience at Reprofit was fantastic. Honestly, it was possibly the best clinic I have ever visited for anything.

The doctors and nurses went above and beyond to make us feel welcome and at ease. I had never experienced a fertility specialist and consultant spending so much time with me, answering my questions so patiently and explaining every stage of the procedure with such clarity. 

I never felt rushed or dismissed. I felt listened to, informed and genuinely cared for.

The support extended well beyond the medical treatment itself. Becky and Ben at Your IVF Journey helped us navigate every practical detail, from recommending hotels and helping us navigate the city of Brno to advising us on obtaining medication and organising tests in advance. 

Reprofit provided exceptional medical care, communication and follow-up. Your IVF Journey, its UK agency, was there to guide us through the whole experience.

From our first contact to embryo transfer took only a few months. After years of feeling that everything was against us, the process felt remarkably smooth. It wasn’t without its moments of wonder at all the medical science going on in the background 

When I went in to have the embryo transfer, I watched as the tiny blastocyst was inserted into the uterus. On the screen, I saw a tiny white point of light against the darkness, like a star in the night sky. It was genuinely magical.

Brno itself was another wonderful surprise. It is a beautiful, friendly, cosmopolitan and interesting city, and a lovely place to visit for treatment. We will take Rafe back there one day so he can discover more about his heritage and see the place where his story began.

It’s difficult to describe, but the whole experience felt natural. It felt right. For years, our journey had been full of obstacles and heartbreak. This time, everything seemed to come together. This was the way we were meant to become parents.

To any woman wondering if she will feel like a mother after egg donation

On 30 August 2026, we welcomed our beautiful baby boy, Rafe, into the world.

I have been completely besotted with him since day one. Carrying him was an amazing experience, and I bonded with him throughout my pregnancy. I felt connected to him then. I feel just as deeply connected to him now. I cannot imagine loving him more.

I want to say this to any woman considering egg donation but feels daunted by the idea of carrying a baby conceived with someone else’s egg.

For me, there has never been any question about whether I am Rafe’s mother. I carried him. My body nurtured him and helped him grow. My bones built his bones, my body helped build his immune system, and I am feeding him to fuel his growth and development every day. 

He is connected to me in every way that matters. He will always be a part of me; body and soul. We were gifted the egg that made this possible, but the rest of him is us. And the love I feel for him is beyond anything I could have imagined.

I know that each and every woman’s experience is different. But I want other women to know that accepting the gift of an donated egg – as Becky Saer herself has said – does not make you any less of a natural mother. 

An egg donation journey I will always be grateful for

Looking back, it’s difficult to believe how close we came to thinking that parenthood was no longer possible for us. But Your IVF Journey helped us navigate a process that has changed our lives.

Choosing this route was one of the best decisions we made. I hope that, by sharing our story, another woman who feels that time is running out, or that she has exhausted every option, might see there is still a way forward.