A Taunton couple is celebrating the arrival of triplets who were born at two-yearly intervals thanks to the miracle of IVF.

Cameron Marks, four, his sister Isabella, two, and new-born Gabriella are considered triplets after being conceived at the same time through IVF and from the same batch of embryos. 

Their parents, Karen and James Marks, decided to keep their remaining viable embryos frozen after the birth of Cameron in 2018 so they could increase their family at a later date. 

The couple who married in 2014 feared they might never have a child of their own after Karen failed to get pregnant and was diagnosed with fertility issues. 

She was given funding for one round of IVF on the NHS in 2017 at the Bristol Centre for Reproductive Medicine (BCRM) that treats both private and NHS patients. 

Karen explained: 'We tried for a year to conceive naturally and nothing happened, so we went to the GP and they ran some tests.

'There's no specific reason. I don't ovulate regularly so that's the main thing, but other than that, there's no reason - we don't have any conditions.

'We had five embryos made up. We've lost two - I miscarried one in 2019, and then one in September last year, a month before we fell pregnant with Gabi.'

Throughout her IVF journey, Karen sadly miscarried twice - once in 2019 and a second time in 2021 - and feared losing baby Gabi after experiencing bleeding early on and then falling ill late last year. But despite Karen losing half a stone during a difficult week of battling Covid, baby Gabi stayed strong and was born on 3 July weighing 7lbs 5.5oz.

Karen says she never hesitates to tell people her children are IVF babies and hopes her experience will encourage others to try IVF if struggling to fall pregnant.

She said: 'Infertility never leaves you. Pregnancy announcements can still be painful, especially when someone has seemingly conceived easily.

'It's a battle and a journey, and while part of me believes there's a reason we had to go through it, we've met so many wonderful people along the way.

'If you've exhausted all other options, then crack on and go for it. IVF is fine. Don't put it off or avoid it. It's the most likely fertility treatment to work, and it did for us.

'Gabi was our last embryo, so she's our last baby now.

'I would have loved to have four, but I'm older now as well and my last pregnancy was a difficult one, so I'm pretty set now.

'Cameron and Isabella love her. They're really cute, even fighting over who gets to hold her, it's really sweet.

'Cameron is the oldest so he's doing great, but Isabella is missing her time with Mummy as I was at her beck and call before. There is a bit of mum guilt there, juggling equal time with each of my kids.

'James always said we'd have three children - you get around a 60% success rate with IVF, so out of five embryos, he always thought we'd have three babies.

'We're so happy she's here. It's surreal, having three children after not thinking you'd have any, but we just feel so incredibly lucky.

'I feel complete now, I'm so happy. It's chaos, but we're just so lucky. My heart is full.'

The Bristol Centre for Reproductive Medicine is involved in innovative research and has one of the best success rates with IVF and other fertility treatments in the UK.

To register for a face to face open evening or to book an initial consultation appointment, email contact@BCRM.clinic , call 0117 259 1159 or visit: www.fertilitybristol.com.