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Personal stories

Hear some personal stories from people who have experienced issues that have affected their fertility.

The long and winding road to being parents

IRHEC Stories

Maciej Smiechowski

When me and my wife started our efforts to conceive a child, we were disappointed that nothing came out of it for about a year. We were lucky enough to be quickly referred to an ART centre, and then the hard road to parentship really started for us. Inadequate semen parameters, chemotherapy for hormonal imbalance, spontaneous conception that shouldn’t technically happen, miscarriage, my diagnosis of chromosomal translocation, decision to switch to donor sperm, several failed inseminations… That lasted for a while and was emotionally exhausting. But finally our first ever IVF resulted in pregnancy and brought us our beloved twins.

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Growing Up Donor-Conceived: A Seamless Part of My Life Journey

IRHEC story

Emma Grønbæk

I'm Emma, born in 1996 and donor-conceived. While I don't have details about my donor due to the era of my birth, my parents' openness has always made me feel complete. They began explaining my unique conception story through a children's book when I was just 3 years old. This open dialogue has filled my life with love, care, and transparency. Additionally, I have two younger sisters who were conceived through ICSI and are my dad's biological children. I adore them and wouldn't have it any other way. On my channel @donorchild, I aim to guide parents and children through the intricacies of donor conception and raise awareness about this meaningful subject.

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From wanting children to wanting nothing else

IRHEC_From wanting children to wanting nothing else - YouTube

Anita Fincham

I was always planning to have children. And when we started trying it was quite relaxed even when we realised we need some medical help to conceive. Gradually the burden of monthly disappointments was getting heavier and heavier. But it was only after getting pregnant and having a miscarriage, that I started to feel deeply that nothing else really mattered in my life. We were lucky enough to have 2 children thanks to IVF treatment and my experience has led me to working with infertility patients’ organization. I believe that it is impossible to explain the infertility mind, but education about fertility and support for patients are essential.

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Painful periods are not something to be ignored

IRHEC_Painful periods are not something to be ignored - YouTube

Satu Rautakallio-Hokkanen Satu

If I had been told when I was in my twenties that it wasn't normal to be sick for three weeks out of every month, I'd certainly have sought specialist advice. And if I had been diagnosed with endometriosis then, and told that it could make it difficult to get pregnant, I would have planned my life differently. When I was diagnosed at the age of 35, it was already basically too late because endometriosis had already done its serious damage. I never had children despite my wishes. This is why it is so important that painful periods are taken seriously from the outset, and that young women are given proper information and that the pain is not minimised.

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The rapid ticking of the biological clock

IRHEC_The rapid ticking of the biological clock - YouTube

Joyce Harper

I always wanted kids when I was 30 but my long-term partner was not ready. We split up when I was 32. I was very aware of my urge to have children, but before I knew it, I was 35 years old, and I realised my time was running out. I was lucky to find a partner who wanted to have children. But for many it is not easy to get pregnant at age 35 and this happened to me. Month after month I got another period. It took us 7 years of fertility treatment to have our family. It was a very painful journey that I do not want others to go through.

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Why wasn’t I thoroughly tested sooner?

IRHEC_Why wasnt I thoroughly tested sooner_ - YouTube

Toby Trice

Will we ever be parents and why does everyone keep asking us? After 6 years of trying for a family the focus of the issue is on my partner. People around us were having children and we were constantly being asked when and why we hadn’t had children yet. The emotional stress and the anxiety of the possibility of never being parents grew stronger and stronger. That was until I reached out to a male fertility expert who thoroughly checked me out. After being diagnosed with a varicocele and high levels of DNA fragmentation, we finally had answers. After an embolization things changed forever.

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