Meet Samantha, one of our first Fertifa patients and mum to twins, Millie and Mia.
Meet Samantha, one of our first Fertifa patients and mum to twins, Millie and Mia.
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Meet Samantha, one of our first Fertifa patients and mum to twins, Millie and Mia. With 1 in 7 couples struggling to get pregnant, Samantha and her partner’s fertility journey was not uncommon. After previously being diagnosed with endometriosis and trying for over a year to have a baby, Samantha found Fertifa through her employer.
We spoke to Samantha about her experience going through fertility treatment with Fertifa and how it feels to be a mum of two beautiful twins, Millie and Mia.
“We would’ve still been waiting for treatment now if we hadn’t found Fertifa”
It was 2019 and we’d been trying naturally to have a baby for [over a year]. With a previous history of endometriosis, I knew I would potentially struggle. I went to my GP who said everything was fine, but after trying and trying to get pregnant, my husband and I decided to get tested.
The results came back showing that my husband had very low sperm count and bad sperm motility. But COVID had just hit the UK, and we’d just been told that the NHS wait times for fertility treatment was 4 or 5 years.
We would’ve still been waiting for treatment now if we hadn’t found Fertifa. An email popped up at work, telling us about Fertifa and their fertility services, and it just felt right.
“Speaking to our Care Advisor was like speaking to a friend. She was there with us through everything”
We reached out to our Care Advisor, Nicola, who from that point was there with us every step of the way. From calling me the day my IVF injections arrived just to ask how I was feeling, to arranging all of the appointments with our IVF clinic, to explaining all the complicated terms we didn’t understand.
She really understood what we were going through – the highs and the lows. Going through fertility treatment is overwhelming, especially navigating the private fertility clinic system. We had no idea what to expect, so having Nicola there at the end of the phone to ask questions to or after a difficult appointment felt so comforting. We couldn’t have done it without her.
“No one tells you that IVF can be a minefield. But everything was so clear with Fertifa. From explaining parts of the process to the costs, it was all laid out for us”
Going through IVF felt really confusing at first. But working with Fertifa and Nicola helped us understand everything we needed to. I was looking for someone professional and ‘on it’, to help us with our fertility treatment, and we got both with Nicola and Fertifa. With something as important as starting your family, you want to feel like you trust the people you’re working with.
Nicola set up a counselling session, which we didn’t even know we needed – but it was so helpful. She went through all of the fertility clinics we could start treatment with, and her experience and insights meant we chose the best one for us.
She also laid out all of the costs and was so transparent about how much everything would’ve cost us, which was so helpful because we’d saved up for this fertility treatment and it can get expensive.
“I loved the fact my company was working with Fertifa. It showed me that they really supported me with everything I was going through”
The fact that my company was working with Fertifa showed me that they really supported me and cared about my wellbeing. It showed me that they didn’t expect me to choose between having a family or my career – which lots of women are still forced to.
IVF and fertility is still a taboo subject, but the fact that my company was working with Fertifa meant that I felt comfortable speaking to them about things like going to appointments. It made me feel confident.
Some people don’t have an open relationship with their managers or employers – especially when it comes to fertility treatment, and it really shouldn’t be that way.
We didn’t even think we could have one baby – so to have two is such a blessing. Double the giggles, double the smiles, double the rewards. They’re incredible. I hope more people get the chance to start their family because of Fertifa.
