In 2019, when Bristol couple Sarah and Matthew had been trying to conceive for two years without result, they sought fertility advice from their GP and were relieved to be taken seriously, referred for initial blood tests and very pleased to discover they qualified for NHS funding for investigations and possible treatment.

Sarah said: “Initially we feared the worst and thought we’d never be able to have a baby.

“But by February 2020 all the necessary investigations, including scans had been carried out and we were ready to start our IVF treatment with ICSI at the Bristol Centre for Reproductive Medicine (BCRM). 

“We felt especially lucky to receive funding as the Bristol local authority provides just one funded round of IVF so there was a lot riding on this one chance.” 

NICE guidelines recommend that three fully-funded rounds of IVF should be provided to couples requiring fertility treatment however the funding provision varies by local authority.

But then Covid struck, with lockdown leading to all fertility services nationwide being put on hold, which meant the couple’s treatment had to be postponed. 

“It was a very difficult time,” said Sarah. “We had no choice but to wait, and as soon as treatment was permitted to restart in August 2020, BCRM were back in touch. 

“I was monitored at the clinic through regular scans by a lovely fertility nurse, and by September it was confirmed my eggs were ready for extraction.

“I arrived for the egg collection procedure with all the required Covid PPE - which was very daunting - but the surgical team were all so nice and put my mind at ease.

“Partners were not allowed into the operating theatre because of the Covid restrictions in force at the time, so Matthew couldn’t come in with me, but the theatre team looked after me really well and were very caring. 

“One theatre nurse held my hand and we cried together – it felt so momentous to finally be properly starting our IVF journey.” 

Twenty-one eggs were extracted during the procedure, which developed into five blastocysts, frozen on days five and six. These were frozen because Sarah may have been at risk of ovarian hyperstimulation and had to wait for her hormone levels to subside before going any further.

In November, having monitored her ovulation at home, she returned to the BCRM for the first embryo to be implanted. 

The laboratory manager thawed the embryo for transfer and gave Sarah a friendly thumbs up to confirm everything had gone well, which put her mind at ease. 

Watching the procedure on the monitor, receiving a scan picture of the moment that the embryo was transferred and a memory stick containing a time-lapse of the first five days of their development was an added bonus and precious souvenir for Sarah and Matthew. 

To their relief their IVF worked first time and baby Laila arrived, two weeks late at the end of August 2021, after an induced 16 hour labour, weighing in at 8lb 7oz.

The couple happily settled into parenthood, and in April 2023 they made the surprise discovery that they had become pregnant again – this time without assistance – but sadly Sarah miscarried at 11 weeks while they were away on holiday.

This prompted them to contact the BCRM on their return to arrange for a second round of treatment, using one of their four remaining frozen embryos in storage at the clinic.

Sarah said: “We were lucky. We’d ended up with five viable embryos from our first IVF cycle, and two of them were graded 5AA by the embryology team, which is as good as it gets, so we were hopeful that our second embryo transfer would be as successful as the first. 

“It felt like everything happened really fast the second time around, compared to all the stop-start of the Covid era. 

“This was a very different experience as Matthew and Laila were both allowed to come into the theatre to support me.” 

The implantation was successful and their rainbow baby, Evie Rose, was delivered in April 2024 weighing 7lbs 13oz, via a planned C-section at 38 weeks to reduce any risk from the gestational diabetes Sarah experienced with this pregnancy.

Sarah said: “Matthew and I treasure the embryoscope time-lapse videos we have of both girls, taken five days into their development, and the wonderful family we have as a result brings us both so much joy.

“We are profoundly grateful for the miracle that is IVF and the expertise and care given to us by the team at the BCRM. Seeing those two strong heartbeats on the initial early scans was like a dream come true.

“It was a privilege to be included in their 40-year celebrations earlier this year, just two days before Evie was born, and we whole-heartedly endorse the clinic and the amazing fertility experts who work there.”

Sarah, now 36, previously worked in marketing and is currently enjoying being a full-time mum, with plans to return to work when their girls start pre-school. Matthew, 40, is a finance business partner.

The couple, who live in Bristol enjoy gardening and are looking forward to sharing the joys of their allotment with their girls when they are old enough. They also have a shared love of travelling, cycling and walking which they plan to pursue as a family.

BCRM provides fertility treatment for both private and NHS patients and has one of the best success rates in the UK for IVF and other fertility treatments.