Maidstone couple share heartbreaking battle to have a baby using IVF
11:22, 12 June 2019
updated: 23:16, 13 June 2019
A couple have gone viral after they shared a video of their struggles to fall pregnant and their battle to secure IVF treatment.
Hannah and Adam reached out to their followers in a bid to highlight how hard the journey to starting a family after discovering they were finally expecting a baby.
In the video, which has been viewed more than 600,000 times, the pair show all the trials and tribulations of falling pregnant throughout their five year fertility battle.
Hannah and Adam share their IVF story
They first started trying for a baby in July 2014 but after four years and countless negative pregnancy tests, they turned their minds to IVF.
Hannah is shown in the video breaking down in tears as she gets yet another negative result.
In December the couple had their first fertility appointment at Maidstone Hospital and were referred for IVF.
But their dreams soon came crashing down when they were told it was going to cost them £8,500 as they did not qualify for NHS funded treatment.
Hannah reacts to the news in the video in tears saying: "Which means we're not doing IVF.
"If we want to do IVF we have to pay which is going to be thousands of pounds and we don't have that and now it's not happening."
After being told of the high costs, Hannah and Adam decided to use private healthcare to get more scans, tests and a second opinion.
Determined not to give up, they went back to the NHS and asked for re-test to see if they qualified for funding.
The couple got the news they desperately wanted and were given the green light for treatment at Care Fertility in Tunbridge Wells.
On April 17, Hannah began her first day on IVF tablets and by May 2 she began having injections.
Just 11 days later on May 13, the couple went to Amberley House for the egg retrieval and fertilisation stage of the treatment.
The following day Hannah and Adam received a phone call telling them the process had been a success and five of the eggs had been fertilised successfully.
IVF has approximately a 40% chance of working during each cycle, however the statistic of it working first time is only 18%.
The statistics did not look promising for the couple, who have requested that we do not use their last names.
But against the odds, Hannah fell pregnant after one round of treatment.
Now, after five years of trying, the pair are expecting their first baby together.
The video shows the heart-warming moment they find out the wonderful news.
Adam re-assures Hannah before checking the test telling her to stay positive before jumping up from the sofa and shouting 'yes' as he sees the result.
Hannah in floods of tears embraces him before saying: "Baby it worked, I'm pregnant. You're going to be a dad!"
In an emotive Facebook post Hannah wrote: "I'm going to be completely honest with you; putting ourselves out there has been, and still is, absolutely terrifying.
"The pain we experienced throughout the last five years will never truly be forgotten and will stay with us always, even when we finally have our little ones in our arms..." - Hannah
"The hard reality is one in eight couples in the UK struggle to start a family, and we happened to fall into that statistic. It's because of this and the taboo that surrounds the topic that we decided to be open from the very beginning.
"The pain we experienced throughout the last five years will never truly be forgotten and will stay with us always, even when we finally have our little ones in our arms.
"Every month I would record, just incase, the test was positive and I could get my reaction on camera. The video would then be deleted, every single time. One day, I decided to no longer delete the videos, to keep them and put them together - that is how the idea of this video begun.
"So many of us going through this journey in silence experience a pain like no other.
"Here we have shared our story, but there are millions more of other couples who's stories are still unheard and kept in the quiet I am #1in8 and I have learnt to be proud of this. #breakthesilence"
The baby is expected in February.
