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Assisted conception

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Assisted conception

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• Pregnancy & children >> Pregnancy >> Age 34-36 >> Interview 08 >> Being pregnant again after donor insemination was something happy coming out of all the sadness. (Read by an actor.)

Initial miscarriage followed by second pregnancy, when a scan revealed baby was affected by tuberous sclerosis. Late termination. Subsequent pregnancy by donor insemination led to birth of a healthy child.

• Pregnancy & children >> Pregnancy >> Age 37-39 >> Interview 06 >> The decision to have an emergency caesarean happened very quickly when the baby became distressed. She felt it was the right decision.

First pregnancy through ICSI IVF. Experienced hyper ovarian stimulation. Induced at 42 weeks with birth by emergency section. Second pregnancy occurred naturally 7 months after birth of first child.

• Pregnancy & children >> Pregnancy >> Age 25-30 >> Interview 27 >> She had polycystic ovary syndrome and took the fertility drug clomifene (Clomid). She also found acupuncture helpful.

Had problems getting pregnant because of polycystic ovary syndrome. Conceived after taking Clomid; also used acupuncture. Now 16 weeks pregnant, and pregnancy is progressing well.

• Pregnancy & children >> Pregnancy >> Age 25-30 >> Interview 27 >> She felt ill taking clomifene (Clomid) and could not get clear information about this. She wanted no further intervention such as IVF.

Had problems getting pregnant because of polycystic ovary syndrome. Conceived after taking Clomid; also used acupuncture. Now 16 weeks pregnant, and pregnancy is progressing well.

• Pregnancy & children >> Pregnancy >> Age 25-30 >> Interview 27 >> She did not like the way one doctor talked to her about her weight in pregnancy.

Had problems getting pregnant because of polycystic ovary syndrome. Conceived after taking Clomid; also used acupuncture. Now 16 weeks pregnant, and pregnancy is progressing well.

• Pregnancy & children >> Pregnancy >> Age 37-39 >> Interview 06 >> She expected IVF to be stressful but it was not as bad as she anticipated.

First pregnancy through ICSI IVF. Experienced hyper ovarian stimulation. Induced at 42 weeks with birth by emergency section. Second pregnancy occurred naturally 7 months after birth of first child.

• Pregnancy & children >> Pregnancy >> Age 37-39 >> Interview 06 >> Men may find it difficult when their partner is having fertility treatment, and it can strain the couple's relationship.

First pregnancy through ICSI IVF. Experienced hyper ovarian stimulation. Induced at 42 weeks with birth by emergency section. Second pregnancy occurred naturally 7 months after birth of first child.

• Pregnancy & children >> Pregnancy >> Age 34-36 >> Interview 16 >> After three unexplained miscarriages and treatment for low fertility with clomifene (Clomid), she joined an egg donation scheme which enabled her to h

Experienced recurrent miscarriage before entering an egg share IVF scheme. IVF was successful after one cycle and pregnancy was excellent. Vaginal birth.

• Pregnancy & children >> Pregnancy >> Age 34-36 >> Interview 16 >> Harvesting the eggs for donation was painful but it was an exciting time. The effect of the drugs she had to take was difficult to cope with.

Experienced recurrent miscarriage before entering an egg share IVF scheme. IVF was successful after one cycle and pregnancy was excellent. Vaginal birth.

• Pregnancy & children >> Pregnancy >> Age 34-36 >> Interview 16 >> She enjoyed pregnancy so much she did not want it to end.

Experienced recurrent miscarriage before entering an egg share IVF scheme. IVF was successful after one cycle and pregnancy was excellent. Vaginal birth.

• Pregnancy & children >> Pregnancy >> Age 34-36 >> Interview 16 >> The possibility of taking part in an egg donation scheme should be made more widely known, as there is an age limit for taking part.

Experienced recurrent miscarriage before entering an egg share IVF scheme. IVF was successful after one cycle and pregnancy was excellent. Vaginal birth.

• Pregnancy & children >> Pregnancy >> Age 34-36 >> Interview 16 >> Investigations never found a cause for her miscarriages and the uncertainty in each pregnancy was hard, but having a healthy baby has given her hope.

Experienced recurrent miscarriage before entering an egg share IVF scheme. IVF was successful after one cycle and pregnancy was excellent. Vaginal birth.

• Pregnancy & children >> Pregnancy >> Age 37-39 >> Interview 11 >> She discussed birth choices with her doctor for her IVF twins. Their safety was the most important thing.

Multiple miscarriages and a late termination due to reciprocal balanced chromosome translocation. Healthy twins born using pre-implantation genetic diagnosis.

• Pregnancy & children >> Pregnancy >> Age 37-39 >> Interview 60 >> Before every pregnancy they stopped taking precautions but have never said they were actively trying for a baby.

After four miscarriages, baby in fifth pregnancy diagnosed with heart condition. Mother (who is diabetic) had pre-eclampsia and emergency caesarean. Severe sickness in every pregnancy. Interviewed during sixth pregnancy, and again after a stillbirth at 36 weeks. More of this interview can be seen on the Healthtalkonline antenatal screening site as Interview 29.

• Pregnancy & children >> Pregnancy >> Age 37-39 >> Interview 32 >> She never thought she would have children, but once she was told she did not have multiple sclerosis after all she and her husband decided to try for

Mother who uses a wheelchair. Antenatal care from a special pregnancy unit because of her condition. Emergency caesarean. Serious complications following a mistake in managing her medication.

• Pregnancy & children >> Pregnancy >> Age 37-39 >> Interview 11 >> She advises other parents to accept that having IVF will take over their lives for a while and just allow themselves to focus on it.

Multiple miscarriages and a late termination due to reciprocal balanced chromosome translocation. Healthy twins born using pre-implantation genetic diagnosis.

• Pregnancy & children >> Pregnancy >> Age 31-33 >> Interview 33 >> Because she has epilepsy she talked to her neurologist and a genetics counsellor before trying for a baby.

Mother who has epilepsy, cared for during her first pregnancy by a Special Pregnancy Unit. Developed pre-eclampsia and had induction with epidural at 37 weeks.

• Pregnancy & children >> Pregnancy >> Age 25-30 >> Interview 20 >> Previous experience of miscarriage made her more determined to go ahead with her next pregnancy, even though it was unplanned. (Read by an actor.)

Single mother. First pregnancy miscarried. Second pregnancy was normal and straightforward. She planned to have a natural birth, but after a long labour chose to have a caesarean.

• Pregnancy & children >> Pregnancy >> Age 25-30 >> Interview 20 >> Discovering she was pregnant unexpectedly made her reassess some aspects of her life, but she knew she wanted to keep the baby. (Read by an actor.)

Single mother. First pregnancy miscarried. Second pregnancy was normal and straightforward. She planned to have a natural birth, but after a long labour chose to have a caesarean.

• Pregnancy & children >> Pregnancy >> Age 31-33 >> Interview 04 >> She wanted to have her children close together so she planned an 18-month gap.

Normal pregnancy. Breech presentation resolved through successful ECV. Induction at 42 weeks. Forceps delivery. Difficulty with breastfeeding. Importance of managing expectations of pregnancy and birth realistically.

• Pregnancy & children >> Pregnancy >> Age 31-33 >> Interview 12 >> They had been trying on and off to get pregnant but not very seriously, so they felt a bit taken aback when it happened.

Normal first pregnancy. Premature labour and birth at 33 weeks. Had to transfer to another hospital because no neonatal intensive care places were available locally.

• Pregnancy & children >> Pregnancy >> Age 37-39 >> Interview 31 >> It took fourteen years to get pregnant, but the baby had a genetic condition and was stillborn. She gave up hope but became pregnant again. (Read by a

Her first, long awaited baby was stillborn at 25 weeks. Her second pregnancy was normal, but an accident at 20 weeks made it an anxious time. Birth was induced, with epidural.

• Pregnancy & children >> Pregnancy >> Age 31-33 >> Interview 56 >> Describes how she and her partner felt about the responsibility of deciding to have a baby.

Two normal pregnancies. Felt well supported by midwives in making birthing choices. First birth was a water birth in hospital; hopes to have the same for second birth. More of this interview can be seen on the Healthtalkonline antenatal screening site as Interview 25.

• Pregnancy & children >> Pregnancy >> Age 37-39 >> Interview 03 >> She expected to have problems conceiving because of endometriosis (problems with the lining of the uterus), but conceived naturally after surgery.

Apparently normal pregnancy, after problems with endometriosis. Vasa praevia discovered during labour. Baby needed resuscitation and intensive care, but recovered well with no long-term problems as originally feared.

• Pregnancy & children >> Pregnancy >> Age 34-36 >> Interview 08 >> Having had a miscarriage made her very keen to get pregnant again to prove to herself she could have a healthy pregnancy. (Read by an actor.)

Initial miscarriage followed by second pregnancy, when a scan revealed baby was affected by tuberous sclerosis. Late termination. Subsequent pregnancy by donor insemination led to birth of a healthy child.

• Pregnancy & children >> Pregnancy >> Age 34-36 >> Interview 08 >> Sometimes people don't realise how devastating it is to have a miscarriage. She wishes she had talked about it more openly. (Read by an actor.)

Initial miscarriage followed by second pregnancy, when a scan revealed baby was affected by tuberous sclerosis. Late termination. Subsequent pregnancy by donor insemination led to birth of a healthy child.

• Pregnancy & children >> Pregnancy >> Aged 24 & under >> Interview 25 >> When her first pregnancy ended in miscarriage, the staff at the Early Pregnancy Unit were very supportive.

First and most recent pregnancy ended in miscarriage. Two normal pregnancies in between, with severe sickness both times. Good support from Early Pregnancy Unit.

• Pregnancy & children >> Pregnancy >> Age 37-39 >> Interview 60 >> She had one early miscarriage and three missed abortions. Every time she still felt pregnant but there was no heartbeat at the scan.

After four miscarriages, baby in fifth pregnancy diagnosed with heart condition. Mother (who is diabetic) had pre-eclampsia and emergency caesarean. Severe sickness in every pregnancy. Interviewed during sixth pregnancy, and again after a stillbirth at 36 weeks. More of this interview can be seen on the Healthtalkonline antenatal screening site as Interview 29.