STARTING a family is a dream come true for many parents.

But for one in six people, infertility snatches that dream away.

This week is Fertility Week and parents have come forward to tell of miracles which have made the impossible possible.

Bourn Hall, a fertility clinic in Colchester, is paramount in making wishes come true.

Rachel Hinsbey and her husband Tom, from Colchester, started trying for a baby shortly after they got married.

Rachel, 34, said “We had no reason to suspect we would have problems conceiving but as time went on, I knew something was wrong.”

After 18 months of trying the couple decided to seek advice from their GP who sent them for tests.

“My tests were all fine,” she said, “then we were told Tom had a sperm count of zero. We thought we would never have children.”

Tests found Tom was a carrier of cystic fibrosis - a common cause of male infertility. It is estimated about one in 25 people in the UK are carriers of the illness.

Tom had been completely unaware he was a carrier of the gene.

Rachel said: “We were both really shocked but knowing the cause of our infertility was a relief. It was helpful to know what was stopping us from conceiving and also to be told there was something which could be done for us.”

The couple were referred for NHS-funded IVF treatment, which they chose to have at the Bourn Hall Fertility Clinic in Colchester.

“When we met with our consultant urologist at the Colchester clinic, it was decided Tom would need a surgical intervention called TESA to find sperm,” Rachel said.

Testicular sperm aspiration occurs when a fine needle is inserted into the testis and samples of tissue containing sperm are taken.

This was used to fertilise Rachel’s collected eggs resulting in five embryos – one embryo was transferred to Rachel’s womb and the others frozen for future treatment.

From then Rachel and Tom had a nervous two-week wait before they could take a pregnancy test to find out if their treatment had been a success.

Rachel said: “I had convinced myself it wouldn’t work so when I looked at the test and saw it was positive I couldn’t believe it.”

Their daughter Amalie was born in March 2014.

A couple of years later the couple decided to go back to Bourn Hall to try for another baby using their frozen embryos and were delighted when their treatment worked first time again. Twins Margot and Teddy were born in September 2018.

The family recently celebrated the twins’ first birthdays.

Rachel said: “We are so thankful to Bourn Hall for their help in giving us the family we always wanted.

“Knowing the specific reason why something was wrong was so important. We at least knew what to do and I would encourage people to have fertility testing if they are concerned.”

In addition to providing NHS IVF treatment, Bourn Hall has become an NHS qualified provider for fertility testing and is launching a new fertility diagnosis and ovulation induction treatment service which is free for people referred by their GP.

The story was similar for Melissa Owens and her wife, Zoe.

Melissa, 36, had always wanted to be a mum but they knew having children was not going to happen without a bit of assistance.

She said: “I am from a big family, I am one of seven, and all of my jobs have involved working with children.”

Echo:

It was London Pride which prompted the couple to consider their options.

“There were all sorts of stalls at the event about parenting, including adoption, and we started to think about how we were going to go about starting a family,” she said.

Many female same-sex couples find the issue of sourcing sperm can be a difficult one.

Some explore the option of asking someone they know or look online for a donor.

Melissa and Zoe had friends who recommended Bourn Hall for fertility treatment with donated sperm.

Dr Arpita Ray, lead clinician at the clinic, said artificial insemination was the best option.

The couple decided Melissa would have the treatment and carry the baby.

Bourn Hall has its own sperm bank and also offers patients the option to source the sperm themselves.

The couple chose a donor through an approved sperm bank in the United States.

“The sperm donor profile you see is a bit like a Facebook profile,” Melissa said. “We chose our donor based on trying to match the physical characteristics with Zoe so height, hair colour, eye colour so we could potentially have some similarities.”

The sperm bank sent vials of frozen sperm to Bourn Hall and Melissa began the process.

It worked first time and in April 2015 they welcomed their son Logan, who is now four.

The couple returned to Bourn Hall for further treatment last year and daughter Harley was born in June.

“Your life changes so much when you have children,” Melissa said. “When I see the two of them together it is just an amazing feeling. Logan is besotted with Harley, he just loves her so much. Our family is complete.”

For more information, visit www.bournhall.co.uk.