Two years of unexplained infertility, then a healthy baby boy

The pain of uncertainty

“I thought maybe it was because of the stress of being a doctor on call,” says Tamara, 35, about the unexplained fertility she and her partner Eugene, 33, were facing. 

After trying to conceive naturally for two years, the couple requested a series of fertility investigations at their local hospital in Stoke-on-Trent. But all their tests came back normal.

With no clear reason for the delay to their plans for starting a family, Tamara, a cardiologist, and Eugene, an obstetrician and gynaecologist in training, were at a complete loss as to what to do next.

“I even changed my career path,” says Tamara, “as I thought maybe the stress of long hours and constantly being on call was causing the infertility. I started a PhD in medical research, with a consistent, nine-to-five routine. It felt like the right thing to do. No more on calls, no work stress.”

Getting to the root of the problem

Despite the career change, they still didn’t have answers, and Tamara still wasn’t pregnant. “The uncertainty was the worst part,” Tamara remembers.

That’s when they were advised to seek specialist support. Mr Denis Tsepov, a gynaecologist at HCA UK, and a friend of the couple, recommended Mr Rehan Salim, Consultant in Reproductive Medicine at Lister Fertility Clinic at The Portland Hospital.

From the very first consultation, they felt listened to. Mr Salim was calm, thorough and reassuring, all of which gave them full confidence in moving ahead with their treatment.

The whole process went very well. In fact, the couple were overjoyed when they successfully conceived on their very first attempt.

“I had an egg retrieval at the end of January, followed by embryo transfer five days later. We then had to wait two weeks before we did a pregnancy test which felt incredibly long and emotionally intense! We were over the moon when we got a positive result.”

All the support of a compassionate team of experts

Eugene and Tamara particularly want to recognise the support and kindness they received from the whole team throughout their fertility journey. 

“From the receptionist to the nursing team, to the anaesthesiologist, everyone was fantastic. Our senior nurse on the day of implantation was super supportive and gave us confidence. Mr Salim was empathic, knowledgeable and always reassuring. And the embryologist carefully explained each stage of the process over the phone, helping us feel informed and involved.”

Even after the embryo transfer, during their two-week wait, the couple say their questions and concerns were handled really well, helping to put their minds at rest.

“I think when you're a patient, these small things make a huge difference,” says Eugene “The treatment I received has actually influenced my own practice as a doctor. I know that some simple comments made a massive difference and have become engraved in my memory.”

“The way everything was explained and handled was amazing,” says Tamara. “I thought it was going to be much more challenging, but I ended up having a nice experience. Obviously, it’s important to do your research when you’re starting IVF, but Mr Salim and the team explained everything, every step of the way. We both felt fully supported.”

The couple have had a happy ending to their fertility story with a smooth pregnancy and the birth of a healthy baby boy. 

“We're very happy,” smiles Tamara. “And he's such a lovely, cheerful boy. I don’t think I would want to do IVF anywhere else, but at Lister Fertility Clinic at The Portland Hospital”.