Georgia Train. A 33-year-old from Brighton was due to begin her first round of IVF earlier this year but in March her treatment had to be postponed for six months due to coronavirus pandemic, now she lives in Icklesham, near Hastings, also found out she has Diminished Ovarian Reserve (DOR), which means her fertility is compromised and it is important to retrieve some of her eggs while she is still young. Knowing she has this condition, Georgia said it was “devastating” to have to hold off on treatment for six months. She said: “I was just one of many women hearing that news in floods of tears.
Due to pandemic there were no rescheduled dates. Some women were halfway through treatment and they lost embryos. It was devastating for a lot of people.”
Somehow Georgia was managed to begin a round of IVF privately earlier this month but was dealt another blow when she and her partner Kenelm, also 33, were told that the £8,000 treatment had not worked.
Reluctantly Georgia took this matter to social media and appealed for her support and open up about her experience as an IVF patient.
She said: “At first we did what most IVF patients do, which is to hide it from friends and family, but now I’m documenting it on YouTube and Instagram, partly to show how hard it is.
Georgia said “IVF is so un-talked about. So far the response on social media has been amazing and it has even connected me to friends who have gone through the same thing.” She has also launched a crowdfunding campaign which could help her to pay for further rounds of IVF, as she narrowly missed out on funding for treatment through the NHS.
She said: “Her paper and documents were perfect to have treatment funded by the NHS, as they look at things like your weight and general health and I don’t smoke and love to exercise. But unfortunately “The NHS has changed its approach and there was one blood test for a hormone which I scored slightly lower on, which two years ago would not have mattered. “To be told you’re not eligible for any funding at all is heartbreaking. It’s too much for any one couple to pay for themselves.”
Although Georgia has already raised more than £6,000 through her GoFundMe page, she was told earlier this week that for IVF to work she will need at least two or three more rounds of treatment. She said: “You don’t want to appear greedy but the goal posts have changed. We are back in debt again even with everyone’s help,
“It’s so much to ask people during a pandemic and I know this is the reason so many IVF patients won’t have children, because of the cost.”
Georgia described her experience of going through IVF as “very traumatising” and hopes she can help others by talking openly about it on her YouTube channel and @MakingMyBaby Instagram page.
News Resource – theargus.co.uk, August 29, 2020
