I hoped IVF and add-ons would help me conceive, but it failed β and now I fear I’ll never have kids
When Ceri Griffiths was offered IVF add-ons, the 37-year-old accepted, hoping it would vastly increase her chances of having a baby.
But instead of the family she so desperately craved, the restaurant owner was left with nothing but heartache.
Now Ceri, who suffered three miscarriages from her exhausting 10-year fertility struggle, fears she’s “wasted” her first round of collected eggs.
Although Ceri is four add-ons – none of which have been proven to work – were fully paid for by the NHS, other women are not so lucky. For example, if Ceri, from Wales, had gone private, undergoing the same procedures could have cost her more than Β£10,000.
Ceri Griffiths-Kennard suffered six failed pregnancies after nine rounds of IVF over 10 years
Ceri and her partner, Oliver, pinned their hopes on additional IVF treatments but now feel ‘abandoned’ by the NHS and feel her eggs were wasted
Some couples who are longing for a child have expressed regret spending their savings on fertility treatments and the handful of perks on offer.
Ceri discussed the devastation of going through the trauma of a failed pregnancy repeatedly, telling MailOnline, “Every time you do it, it gets harder and harder. It comes to mind.
‘It’s been very difficult. It has also been very difficult for my husband (Oliver). At least it made us stronger together. And he is so supportive. I think it affected his mental health as much as mine.β
An add-on Ceri got during her nine rounds of IVF was an “endometrial scratch.”
As the name suggests, doctors physically scratch the uterine lining, apparently releasing chemicals that make it more receptive to an embryo.
Yet this is labeled as ‘amber’ by the Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority (HFEA) regulator, meaning there is little evidence to show it increases the chances of pregnancy.
Five add-ons fall under this category. Ceri got four, some of which were performed repeatedly.
Still, she claims no doctor explained how the add-ons had “contradictory” evidence about the likelihood that it would actually help.
Ceri discussed her experience with scratching, saying, βThe hospital staff were nice, but the procedure was horrible.
βThey just suggested I have it done. They said the theory is that it stimulates blood flow to the area to encourage a healthy uterus. That’s all they said.
“It wasn’t until I did my own research for the past two months that I knew there was no evidence.”
After losing her fallopian tubes to a blockage at just 23 years old, Ceri was aware that it would be impossible to conceive naturally.
It meant IVF was her only option, as eggs are fertilized outside the body and implanted in the uterus – replacing the fallopian tubes’ role.
In 2013, Ceri, who lived in Lincolnshire at the time, had her first round of IVF through Care Fertility Nottingham, paid for by local health chiefs.
After just one round, complications began to hinder the couple’s dreams of having a baby.
Ceri, then 29, was diagnosed with ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). It can cause women’s ovaries to dilate dangerously. In severe cases, victims may struggle to breathe with blood clots in their lungs.
Ceri’s first round ended in a chemical pregnancy, a miscarriage that occurs within the first five weeks. An embryo forms but then stops developing – it can happen so early that many don’t even notice.
Ceri – pictured with her husband Oliver and her dog – says she routinely received four amber treatments, out of a possible five, by the Hewitt Fertility Center
After a decade of relying on these potentially useless add-ons, she was devastated after miscarrying three times. She lost one to a chemical pregnancy within five weeks and miscarried twice within eight weeks – her last was twins pictured in the scans above
After a failed second attempt in Nottingham, the couple began to struggle mentally with the fear of never being able to start a family of their own.
Ceri and Oliver moved to Wales in 2014 for a caravan park job and so were referred to a closer clinic – the Hewitt Fertility Center at Liverpool Women’s Hospital.
She had seven more rounds with three other add-ons: elective freezing cycles and time-lapse imaging, artificial egg activation and embryo glue.
Together they claim to help select only healthy eggs, promote hormone production and reduce developmental defects in an effort to increase the chances of pregnancy.
But none of her attempts were successful. In the center of Liverpool, Ceri suffered two miscarriages: one at six weeks and one at eight weeks.
She says she was never told about the HFEA’s traffic light system and that the practice of providing people with add-ons takes advantage of vulnerable families who want a child.
“It’s all a money making scam if you ask me,” she added,
βIt’s been incredibly tough. I feel angry, and I feel abandoned.β
Now she is making a formal complaint against the NHS after saying it allowed her to ‘go through all her eggs without ever referring her to a recurrent miscarriage clinic for further investigation’.
She believes the add-ons gave her a false sense of security and by not seeing a specialist, her eggs were ‘wasted’.
As Ceri’s biological clock ticks, she desperately tries to find the funding for another opportunity with a specialist.
She says she has to scramble to find at least Β£12,000 for another cycle to collect more eggs.
She wants to freeze any remaining embryos developed with the eggs for future use by a miscarriage specialist.
Thousands of Brits go through a similar emotional roller coaster each year as one in seven couples struggle to conceive.
According to the HFEA, in 2019, about 53,000 Britons underwent the tapping process of IVF.
A spokesperson for Liverpool Women’s Hospital said: ‘We would like to apologize for the distress caused to the patient as a result of their experience.
“We have reached out to the patient to allow us to investigate this further to better understand the issues and identify where we could have done better.”