0:00:02 > 0:00:05In the UK, an estimated one in seven couples
0:00:05 > 0:00:08suffer fertility problems of some kind.
0:00:12 > 0:00:12Every year,
0:00:12 > 0:00:17thousands of these will seek help in the form of fertility treatment.
0:00:20 > 0:00:22For some, this will be a success,
0:00:22 > 0:00:26resulting in a much-longed-for child.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29It's more than we ever thought it would be.
0:00:29 > 0:00:35And to get two at the one time is double the bonus. It's just amazing.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38And some women go to extraordinary lengths
0:00:38 > 0:00:41to help others achieve their dream.
0:00:41 > 0:00:43'I know it's not simple and straightforward.'
0:00:43 > 0:00:46There is lot of work involved with being an egg donor,
0:00:46 > 0:00:51but it's a small thing to do for giving someone something so huge.
0:00:52 > 0:00:56This is the story of fertility in Northern Ireland
0:00:56 > 0:01:00and the lengths that some couples and individuals must go to
0:01:00 > 0:01:01to have a baby.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15Mel is a 24-year-old mother of three
0:01:15 > 0:01:18who has made the brave decision to donate her eggs
0:01:18 > 0:01:22in the hope that someone experiencing fertility problems
0:01:22 > 0:01:23may benefit.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28'My friend asked me to donate eggs about two years ago,
0:01:28 > 0:01:31'but I was too young to do it on the NHS.'
0:01:31 > 0:01:35I've got a few other friends as well who've been through IVF
0:01:35 > 0:01:39or have gone through IVF, got pregnant, had a baby who's died
0:01:39 > 0:01:41and then are either considering
0:01:41 > 0:01:45starting the journey again or having a life with no children.
0:01:47 > 0:01:52But it's not just her friends' experiences that have inspired Mel.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58'My first little boy with my partner was stillborn.'
0:01:58 > 0:02:02And there wasn't very long in-between him dying
0:02:02 > 0:02:06and our second son being born, and it was a new lease of life for me.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09He didn't make everything OK,
0:02:09 > 0:02:11but he brought a lot of happiness into our lives
0:02:11 > 0:02:13that wouldn't have been there.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17'I've moved on a great deal from where I was,
0:02:17 > 0:02:20'but I don't think I'll ever be right again, you know?'
0:02:20 > 0:02:23It's a damage that can't be undone.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26And it's not even just that I miss him or that I'm grieving for him,
0:02:26 > 0:02:28it's affected so many other parts of my life -
0:02:28 > 0:02:32the way I treat my children. I probably do baby them too much.
0:02:33 > 0:02:36This is my youngest, Amira, who's almost one.
0:02:36 > 0:02:37She's a crazy little child.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40But I wouldn't change you, with your craziness!
0:02:42 > 0:02:45'I was very lucky that I got pregnant again quite quickly,
0:02:45 > 0:02:47'but even in the space in-between
0:02:47 > 0:02:50'it felt like it would never, ever happen for me.'
0:02:50 > 0:02:53I got a glimpse into how it must feel to go through that
0:02:53 > 0:02:55month after month after month,
0:02:55 > 0:02:57and especially when people have a reason
0:02:57 > 0:03:00and they know that it's highly unlikely to happen,
0:03:00 > 0:03:04but they still just keep trying. To me, that is amazing strength.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07Who are you laughing at?
0:03:07 > 0:03:08Aww! Burped!
0:03:12 > 0:03:15Today, Mel is attending Origin Fertility Care,
0:03:15 > 0:03:17a private fertility clinic,
0:03:17 > 0:03:21for the first step on her journey to donate her eggs.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24Thanks for coming back again. It's great to see you.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27The good news is that all the screening has been done
0:03:27 > 0:03:28and all the results are fine.
0:03:28 > 0:03:33And if you're still happy, then we'd be really glad to go ahead
0:03:33 > 0:03:34and do a donation cycle with you.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37We'd plan to start your first drug,
0:03:37 > 0:03:40and that drug is an injection of Suprefact,
0:03:40 > 0:03:44and it basically blocks the feedback pathway
0:03:44 > 0:03:46that you normally have in your own system
0:03:46 > 0:03:48between your brain and your ovaries.
0:03:48 > 0:03:52And it's just a little injection in your tummy or your thigh.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54So that's something you can do yourself.
0:03:54 > 0:03:56Then you will start the stimulation,
0:03:56 > 0:04:00and the Menopur, basically, is going to stimulate your ovaries
0:04:00 > 0:04:03to produce more than the one egg that you naturally produce yourself.
0:04:03 > 0:04:04It's just that cycle...
0:04:04 > 0:04:07'I'm doing this - bottom line - to give someone a baby,
0:04:07 > 0:04:09'hopefully to give two people a baby.'
0:04:09 > 0:04:11And I think I have to keep a hold of the thought
0:04:11 > 0:04:13that, yes, babies will come out of it,
0:04:13 > 0:04:16I'd rather be disappointed than be negative the whole way along,
0:04:16 > 0:04:18if you know what I mean.
0:04:18 > 0:04:19I just want to be positive
0:04:19 > 0:04:22and hope that there will be little babies come out of it at the end.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30Jude and Brian from Belfast have been married for almost five years,
0:04:30 > 0:04:34but their wish to have a child remains unfulfilled.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39As time goes by, and maybe six months go by,
0:04:39 > 0:04:44you do sort of start to read things, maybe, or just seek out...
0:04:44 > 0:04:46I mean, the internet is a wonderful thing
0:04:46 > 0:04:47and maybe not such a wonderful thing!
0:04:47 > 0:04:50But you start to look it up, and everything says
0:04:50 > 0:04:52"Wait a year" or "Try for a year".
0:04:54 > 0:04:57'After a year, we went to the GP.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00'They do a certain number of months' worth of tests.'
0:05:00 > 0:05:03Then you're referred to the fertility clinic.
0:05:03 > 0:05:08And that takes a little while to get your appointment,
0:05:08 > 0:05:11and then they sort of repeat all the same tests again.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15And then that's sort of two years.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19Every couple in Northern Ireland
0:05:19 > 0:05:23is entitled to one free fertility cycle on the NHS.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26After a long wait, Jude and Brian have been told
0:05:26 > 0:05:28that their fertility treatment
0:05:28 > 0:05:32at the Regional Fertility Centre in Belfast is about to begin.
0:05:32 > 0:05:36'We've had some tests and blood tests and some screenings.'
0:05:36 > 0:05:40And next week we are going for our first, I think, appointment
0:05:40 > 0:05:43that I think sets everything out for us,
0:05:43 > 0:05:46what is going to happen in the next number of months.
0:05:48 > 0:05:49'We'd love it to happen.
0:05:49 > 0:05:51'But if it doesn't happen,
0:05:51 > 0:05:54'we do have great nieces, nephews, friends.'
0:05:54 > 0:05:57- There are other options. - There are other options.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00And we've been looking at fostering.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03Obviously, then, the future of that is adoption.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05But, you know, there's other things available for us
0:06:05 > 0:06:07- if this doesn't happen. - Mm-hm. Mm-hm.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15'I'm really, really trying not to get my hopes up,
0:06:15 > 0:06:19'but you have to balance that with being positive.'
0:06:19 > 0:06:21We'll just start it, get through it.
0:06:21 > 0:06:24- It's not going to be the worst thing in the world.- No!
0:06:24 > 0:06:28You know, there's plenty of worse things that people have to do.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32And, you know, hopefully, hopefully it'll take and work.
0:06:36 > 0:06:40At home, Mel has started administering her own injections.
0:06:41 > 0:06:45These injections are designed to stop Mel's natural menstrual cycle
0:06:45 > 0:06:49so that it can be artificially controlled.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52This will enable Mel's egg production to be co-ordinated
0:06:52 > 0:06:55with the women who are waiting to receive her eggs.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01'It hasn't taken over my life, as I feared at the beginning it might do.
0:07:01 > 0:07:02'You know, when we got to this stage
0:07:02 > 0:07:06'it was going to be that my life would all be about egg donation.'
0:07:06 > 0:07:10And it hasn't, it's just my life with something extra in it.
0:07:16 > 0:07:20The catalyst for me coming forward to donate eggs was the death of our son,
0:07:20 > 0:07:24and it seems a bit of an odd coincidence, maybe,
0:07:24 > 0:07:28that I had to start injecting myself on the anniversary of his death.
0:07:28 > 0:07:32Erm...so I don't know whether that's a sign that he's here,
0:07:32 > 0:07:34that he's going to help me through it,
0:07:34 > 0:07:36but it has been a kind of comfort,
0:07:36 > 0:07:38it's given me something else to focus on
0:07:38 > 0:07:41on the anniversary of his death and then his birthday.
0:07:41 > 0:07:44The fact that it's all fallen in the same week
0:07:44 > 0:07:47I think is a bit more than a coincidence. I don't know.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50I read something the other day, actually.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53It says grief does not get easier with time,
0:07:53 > 0:07:55the only reason it feels easier
0:07:55 > 0:07:57is that you become accustomed to the burden,
0:07:57 > 0:08:04and I think it's true that I'm used to now feeling someone's missing.
0:08:04 > 0:08:08I suppose it's better than actively grieving over him for six years,
0:08:08 > 0:08:11because you can't physically do that, I don't think.
0:08:11 > 0:08:14It'd just drain the life out of you.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16But, yeah, we're getting there.
0:08:16 > 0:08:17I think!
0:08:19 > 0:08:23Mel's egg donation is totally anonymous,
0:08:23 > 0:08:25and any children born as a result of the process
0:08:25 > 0:08:29can only learn of her identity when they turn 18.
0:08:30 > 0:08:35Until then, Mel's only communication with any potential child
0:08:35 > 0:08:37is a brief written message.
0:08:39 > 0:08:41'Part of the forms they've given me
0:08:41 > 0:08:44'is the opportunity to write a goodwill message
0:08:44 > 0:08:47'to any babies that are born from my donation
0:08:47 > 0:08:50'and also to give a bit of a description about myself.
0:08:52 > 0:08:55'It brings it home that this is something that will actually result
0:08:55 > 0:08:59'in life being created.
0:08:59 > 0:09:01'At the minute now, especially with all the injections'
0:09:01 > 0:09:04and the actual harvesting itself looming over me,
0:09:04 > 0:09:07it's still hard to think beyond medical procedure.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10But this is, I suppose, a good way of, y'know,
0:09:10 > 0:09:12coming to terms with the fact that, yes,
0:09:12 > 0:09:15there may well be children created from what I'm going through now.
0:09:22 > 0:09:26Egg donation is still relatively uncommon in Northern Ireland.
0:09:26 > 0:09:28But a recent set of recommendations
0:09:28 > 0:09:34by the HFEA, an organisation which regulates the fertility business,
0:09:34 > 0:09:37may mean more donors coming forward.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42The new scheme will allow egg donors to be paid
0:09:42 > 0:09:45a fixed sum of £750 per donation.
0:09:45 > 0:09:50So, really, the amount has tripled, which is very good news.
0:09:50 > 0:09:54It certainly won't solve the problem of the shortage of egg donors,
0:09:54 > 0:09:56but I believe it will greatly help,
0:09:56 > 0:09:59because it will help to raise awareness.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05Any positive step whatsoever will be very welcome
0:10:05 > 0:10:10and will certainly help in the campaign to recruit egg donors.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13As Mel is beginning her treatment,
0:10:13 > 0:10:16these regulations have not yet become law.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20This means she won't be compensated for her egg donation
0:10:20 > 0:10:23except for expenses.
0:10:23 > 0:10:27Today, she has reached another milestone on her journey
0:10:27 > 0:10:30and is at the clinic for an important appointment.
0:10:32 > 0:10:34This appointment is for a scan
0:10:34 > 0:10:37to see whether or not we're ready to start the second drug.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40So I'm a bit nervous, because if they tell me I am ready,
0:10:40 > 0:10:45then that's kind of the beginning of the end, sort of the final step.
0:10:45 > 0:10:47So, yeah, I'm nervous and excited.
0:10:51 > 0:10:52This scan is to check
0:10:52 > 0:10:56if her ovaries are responding well to the injections
0:10:56 > 0:10:58and that there are no potential issues.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04However, it soon becomes apparent that there is a problem,
0:11:04 > 0:11:07as the scan shows Mel has cysts on her ovaries.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12You've got a couple of cysts on that one as well.
0:11:12 > 0:11:17So...we probably need to manage those before we can get going.
0:11:18 > 0:11:22Not to worry. It's a pain for yourself.
0:11:22 > 0:11:23That's the scan done.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27Right...
0:11:27 > 0:11:28Right, so we've done the scan,
0:11:28 > 0:11:31and there are a couple of cysts on your ovaries.
0:11:31 > 0:11:32The lining of the womb is thin,
0:11:32 > 0:11:34which indicates they're non-functioning,
0:11:34 > 0:11:35so they're just there.
0:11:35 > 0:11:36So we'll take a blood test
0:11:36 > 0:11:39to check whether or not the cysts are functioning,
0:11:39 > 0:11:43- and if they're not, that we can go ahead and start the stimulation.- OK.
0:11:43 > 0:11:44All right?
0:11:47 > 0:11:49Mel must now wait on blood-test results
0:11:49 > 0:11:53that will show if the cysts are active.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56Although she does not know who the egg recipients are,
0:11:56 > 0:11:59she is worried that this will be a major setback for them.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05I will be disappointed if it is going to cause a delay,
0:12:05 > 0:12:07because now, today, I've found out
0:12:07 > 0:12:10that both the recipients are ready to move on to the next stage.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13Maybe I do expect too much from myself,
0:12:13 > 0:12:17especially when it's something completely out of my control,
0:12:17 > 0:12:20but I just don't want to hold them back
0:12:20 > 0:12:23when I know how long they've probably waited for an egg donor,
0:12:23 > 0:12:26and I don't want to leave them waiting any more than I have to.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34Jude's treatment at the Regional Fertility Centre in Belfast
0:12:34 > 0:12:35is under way,
0:12:35 > 0:12:38and she's become accustomed to the drugs regime involved.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43We went along to our appointment,
0:12:43 > 0:12:46and we got our big package of medication,
0:12:46 > 0:12:48and then we literally went in, saw the nurse,
0:12:48 > 0:12:51and she went through our whole schedule.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54It's a bit scary at the start.
0:12:54 > 0:12:59I mean, I don't like needles as much as the next person.
0:12:59 > 0:13:04But it's a really fine needle, and you just dial up your dose.
0:13:04 > 0:13:08Mine was generally 150. And I sort of generally went into the tummy.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11And it's not so good if you're running late
0:13:11 > 0:13:12and you have to do that quickly,
0:13:12 > 0:13:16because you want to give yourself a wee bit of time.
0:13:16 > 0:13:19My egg collection is tomorrow morning,
0:13:19 > 0:13:23and then three, four days after that I'll have egg transfer,
0:13:23 > 0:13:25which hopefully, fingers crossed,
0:13:25 > 0:13:29they will be putting fertilised embryos back in.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37I'm looking forward to getting this week over.
0:13:37 > 0:13:42Yeah, this week, and then you're just waiting to take a test.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44And then you still can't jump for joy.
0:13:44 > 0:13:50Even if that turns out to be OK, you sort of have to wait and see.
0:13:50 > 0:13:53But you know, hopefully this time,
0:13:53 > 0:13:56in, I don't know, a month, a month and a half,
0:13:56 > 0:13:58we'll know. We'll know.
0:14:01 > 0:14:02'I didn't really know what to expect,
0:14:02 > 0:14:04'but I think that she's handled it so well.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07'We had a few...weepy days, let's say.'
0:14:07 > 0:14:11Nothing you can't handle when you consider what she's going through.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14I think she's done really, really well, so I'm really proud of her.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21'I'm nervous about tomorrow.
0:14:21 > 0:14:23'I'm a bit nervous, but I just want it to be over.'
0:14:23 > 0:14:28If we get to the stage that embryos are fertilised, brilliant,
0:14:28 > 0:14:30that embryos transfer OK, brilliant,
0:14:30 > 0:14:34and then just try and get my head down for two weeks
0:14:34 > 0:14:39and not think constantly about "Am I pregnant? Am I pregnant?"
0:14:39 > 0:14:44So it's exciting, but you just don't want to get your hopes up so much!
0:14:48 > 0:14:50At the clinic, Mel's blood-test results
0:14:50 > 0:14:53have shown that her cysts are active,
0:14:53 > 0:14:56and she is about to undergo a procedure to drain them.
0:14:57 > 0:14:58This is essential
0:14:58 > 0:15:03before Mel starts drugs to stimulate her ovaries to grow more eggs.
0:15:03 > 0:15:11If not dealt with, the cysts could obstruct the growth of her eggs.
0:15:11 > 0:15:15Mel is under mild sedation but remains awake during the procedure.
0:15:16 > 0:15:19OK, I'm going to scan you now.
0:15:21 > 0:15:23This is the left ovary.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25We can see there is a cyst there,
0:15:25 > 0:15:30so on my three I'm going to give you a jab there,
0:15:30 > 0:15:33so it's one, two, three.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03'This one was a cyst aspiration.'
0:16:03 > 0:16:07The reason why we done that is because it developed cysts.
0:16:07 > 0:16:12So those, they take a space from the ovaries,
0:16:12 > 0:16:15and sometimes the ovaries may not respond
0:16:15 > 0:16:18to the stimulation of the drugs that we give.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21So we felt that it's appropriate to aspirate the cyst
0:16:21 > 0:16:24and then start the stimulation.
0:16:26 > 0:16:30'In about ten days from today, ten to twelve days from today,
0:16:30 > 0:16:32'she should have enough follicles'
0:16:32 > 0:16:36to recover some nice eggs from there.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42A successful pregnancy from IVF
0:16:42 > 0:16:46is a dream come true for women who have fertility issues.
0:16:47 > 0:16:49One, two, three!
0:16:49 > 0:16:54Eilish from County Tyrone experienced this joy in 2010,
0:16:54 > 0:16:57when her twins Michael and Niamh were born.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00But this was only at the end of a long struggle
0:17:00 > 0:17:03for Eilish and her husband Kieran.
0:17:05 > 0:17:07'We got married in 2003,
0:17:07 > 0:17:11'and we decided we would wait for about a year.'
0:17:11 > 0:17:16After a year, nothing was happening, so we went to the doctor
0:17:16 > 0:17:20and we were put on an NHS IVF waiting list.
0:17:20 > 0:17:23We had donor treatment in the Royal,
0:17:23 > 0:17:27our first round of IVF, and it actually was successful.
0:17:28 > 0:17:33But it ended up in a miscarriage, which was devastating after...
0:17:33 > 0:17:36Getting that first positive was great,
0:17:36 > 0:17:40but sadly it wasn't meant to be.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43It's Daddy!
0:17:45 > 0:17:50'After we had the miscarriage, then we looked at all of our options,
0:17:50 > 0:17:55'and we got the GCRM in Glasgow, and we called them.'
0:17:55 > 0:17:59We decided we would go over there and see how that went.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04'I went to Scotland on my own, never told anybody -'
0:18:04 > 0:18:10Kieran was the only one who knew - and had the embryos put back.
0:18:10 > 0:18:12'And I went back to work, told nobody,
0:18:12 > 0:18:14'went to work for the whole week.'
0:18:14 > 0:18:17And I ended up in it being a positive.
0:18:19 > 0:18:22This time, Eilish had a successful pregnancy,
0:18:22 > 0:18:27and in September 2010, her twins arrived.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32'Michael came out first.'
0:18:32 > 0:18:36They brought him over, and I just couldn't believe that he was ours.
0:18:36 > 0:18:38He was just so tiny and snuggly.
0:18:38 > 0:18:43So, they wrapped him up and gave him to Kieran.
0:18:43 > 0:18:49And then Niamh came next. And she was just all pink and lovely.
0:18:49 > 0:18:53And they brought her over, and, to be honest,
0:18:53 > 0:18:55I couldn't see her for crying.
0:18:56 > 0:18:59Sit down on Mummy's knee. Good boy.
0:19:01 > 0:19:02Who's this?
0:19:04 > 0:19:07Michael. Ahhh, give him a kiss!
0:19:07 > 0:19:10'It's as if they've always been here now.
0:19:10 > 0:19:14'Just definitely they're worth getting up in the morning now
0:19:14 > 0:19:16'and worth the sleepless nights.'
0:19:16 > 0:19:21I just feel complete now, just totally complete, that I have...
0:19:21 > 0:19:26a boy and a girl and Kieran, and we're just a happy family now.
0:19:26 > 0:19:30You know...if we had had one, we would have been more than happy,
0:19:30 > 0:19:32but you probably would have wanted company, for another one.
0:19:32 > 0:19:36But for God to give you two at the one time,
0:19:36 > 0:19:37sure, what more could you ask for?
0:19:49 > 0:19:54Mel is on her way to the clinic for another important scan.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57Today, she will find out if she has produced enough follicles
0:19:57 > 0:20:00and can therefore go ahead and donate her eggs.
0:20:01 > 0:20:06After her previous setback, it's an anxious time for Mel.
0:20:06 > 0:20:10I'm just worried that it hasn't worked. I don't know, I don't...
0:20:10 > 0:20:15I think the journey so far, we've had a couple of setbacks,
0:20:15 > 0:20:17and I think I'm just expecting the worst now.
0:20:19 > 0:20:23I'm just expecting to go for a scan, for them to say, "There's no eggs,"
0:20:23 > 0:20:26or, "There's not enough eggs to make it worth our while".
0:20:28 > 0:20:32But I'm just hoping, really, really hoping, that that isn't the case.
0:20:39 > 0:20:45However, once the scan begins, it becomes clear that the news is good.
0:20:45 > 0:20:49Now, in total we've got 12, 13, 14, 15,
0:20:49 > 0:20:5216 on that side.
0:20:52 > 0:20:54Plenty. There are!
0:20:54 > 0:20:57Now, we'd only expect to get mature eggs from the more mature follicles,
0:20:57 > 0:21:00and we're not going to wait for them all to grow,
0:21:00 > 0:21:03because that's obviously increasing the risk.
0:21:04 > 0:21:05OK! So it all looks fine.
0:21:05 > 0:21:09I'll let you get dressed, and then we'll go through the next bit.
0:21:13 > 0:21:14'It went really well today,
0:21:14 > 0:21:16'so we're expecting a really nice number of eggs,
0:21:16 > 0:21:18'and on this occasion,'
0:21:18 > 0:21:22she should have enough eggs for two recipients, which is wonderful news.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25These are the ones that we consider to be mature,
0:21:25 > 0:21:27the ones that are already at 17 and above.
0:21:27 > 0:21:30Three, five, six, seven, eight, which is perfect.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33But you've also got another two, three, four, five
0:21:33 > 0:21:36which I'd kind of expect to carry on growing,
0:21:36 > 0:21:38so that's a really nice number of eggs.
0:21:38 > 0:21:40'The recipient herself will have been on drugs
0:21:40 > 0:21:43'to make sure that her lining of her womb is ready.'
0:21:43 > 0:21:47The sperm from the husband will be mixed with the egg from the donor
0:21:47 > 0:21:48so that we can create embryos,
0:21:48 > 0:21:51and the embryos will then be put back into the recipient
0:21:51 > 0:21:53two or three days after the egg collection.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56Brilliant. Well, I can say that we've got two very happy recipients
0:21:56 > 0:22:00that will be delighted with what you've done, so thank you again.
0:22:00 > 0:22:04- Happiness!- Yes, exactly! It's good. Well done.
0:22:08 > 0:22:12Really, really glad. Everything seems to be going well.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14I'm just really, really hoping it all goes right
0:22:14 > 0:22:18and we do get two pregnancies out of it. It'd be lovely.
0:22:24 > 0:22:27Every year, thousands of people from the UK
0:22:27 > 0:22:30travel abroad for fertility treatment,
0:22:30 > 0:22:34a practice commonly referred to as "fertility tourism".
0:22:38 > 0:22:39Egg and sperm donations
0:22:39 > 0:22:42are much more commonplace and readily available
0:22:42 > 0:22:44in other countries with different regulations.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50In recent years, Spain has become a popular destination
0:22:50 > 0:22:53for people from Northern Ireland who wish to undergo treatment.
0:22:57 > 0:22:59As a managing director of a fertility clinic,
0:22:59 > 0:23:04it is important that Jenny Hall is up to date on fertility trends.
0:23:04 > 0:23:07Today, she has come to visit a Spanish clinic
0:23:07 > 0:23:09to see how their regime operates.
0:23:11 > 0:23:13'In Northern Ireland and in the UK as a whole,
0:23:13 > 0:23:16'there is a shortage of donors.'
0:23:16 > 0:23:18A lot of people need egg donation,
0:23:18 > 0:23:22but there are not a lot of egg donors available.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24'It's very difficult to recruit donors,
0:23:24 > 0:23:26'because it is now possible
0:23:26 > 0:23:29'that any child born from egg or sperm donation,
0:23:29 > 0:23:31'when they reach the age of 18,'
0:23:31 > 0:23:35can get the identifying information about the donor
0:23:35 > 0:23:37and could possibly trace the donor.
0:23:39 > 0:23:41'In Spain, the law is completely different,
0:23:41 > 0:23:43'and donors remain anonymous.'
0:23:43 > 0:23:46Therefore there is no possibility
0:23:46 > 0:23:50of a donor-conceived child tracing their donor in the future.
0:23:52 > 0:23:53Jenny hopes that in the future
0:23:53 > 0:23:56she could possibly work in conjunction
0:23:56 > 0:23:58with some of the clinics based in Europe.
0:24:03 > 0:24:07'The purpose of today, really, was just to explore the options.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13'I wanted to see the facility, meet the team'
0:24:13 > 0:24:18and just get a general, overall impression of what was possible.
0:24:21 > 0:24:26'I was genuinely very impressed by the whole experience.
0:24:26 > 0:24:31'And when I talked to them, I heard the answers that I wanted to hear.'
0:24:31 > 0:24:33You know, they didn't say anything that gave me
0:24:33 > 0:24:36any cause for concern at all, so that was all very positive.
0:24:42 > 0:24:46Back in Northern Ireland, it's the day of Mel's egg donation.
0:24:47 > 0:24:50In a few hours, she will know if the treatment has worked
0:24:50 > 0:24:52and if she has produced enough eggs
0:24:52 > 0:24:55to help create a baby for someone else.
0:24:55 > 0:25:01I'll be glad when it's over, just because I'm anxious about it.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03But no, I'm not particularly...
0:25:03 > 0:25:06I know it doesn't hurt and I know it doesn't take very long,
0:25:06 > 0:25:08so it'll be fine, I think!
0:25:14 > 0:25:17Mel is sedated for this procedure,
0:25:17 > 0:25:21which involves the removal of the follicles from her ovaries.
0:25:22 > 0:25:27The fluid content of the follicles is checked in the adjoining lab
0:25:27 > 0:25:30and the eggs are then safely stored for fertilisation.
0:25:51 > 0:25:54As the procedure concludes,
0:25:54 > 0:25:57the results from the lab are very positive.
0:25:58 > 0:25:59Has it all worked?
0:25:59 > 0:26:02OK, that's it all over, Melanie.
0:26:02 > 0:26:04'It's gone very well, we've got the 12 eggs there.'
0:26:04 > 0:26:06So the great thing there is
0:26:06 > 0:26:09from that one donor, we're able to treat two couples
0:26:09 > 0:26:12who have been longing for donor eggs for a long time.
0:26:12 > 0:26:14So the next stage for us
0:26:14 > 0:26:17is obviously to add the sperm and eggs together.
0:26:17 > 0:26:19Different ways of doing that.
0:26:19 > 0:26:20We'll check them tomorrow morning
0:26:20 > 0:26:22and then we'll phone the two couples.
0:26:22 > 0:26:23'It's all over.
0:26:23 > 0:26:28'It was a little bit more painful than the cyst aspiration'
0:26:28 > 0:26:31but nothing unbearable.
0:26:32 > 0:26:37But it's done now, and I feel normal and ready to go home.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39And I guess that's it!
0:26:45 > 0:26:49A couple of weeks after their first IVF cycle,
0:26:49 > 0:26:52and Jude and Brian are reflecting on the outcome.
0:26:52 > 0:26:54After the eggs were put back,
0:26:54 > 0:26:57you have a date where you do a pregnancy test,
0:26:57 > 0:26:59and it was about three or four days before that
0:26:59 > 0:27:02we realised, "OK, it hasn't worked".
0:27:02 > 0:27:08It was tough. It was tough. Y'know, I was quite emotional. I was sad.
0:27:08 > 0:27:12Just at that moment where you realise it hasn't worked,
0:27:12 > 0:27:14it is pretty devastating.
0:27:14 > 0:27:16We are still young.
0:27:16 > 0:27:17We don't have children,
0:27:17 > 0:27:22and there's a lot of things that we can still enjoy together
0:27:22 > 0:27:24that we wouldn't be able to do.
0:27:24 > 0:27:28God, I mean, we would put having a child in front of anything, really,
0:27:28 > 0:27:31but, erm, you just have to appreciate what you do have.
0:27:34 > 0:27:37Several weeks after her egg donation,
0:27:37 > 0:27:39Mel has been told the results of the process.
0:27:41 > 0:27:44Out of the two recipients, one of them is pregnant
0:27:44 > 0:27:47and one of them is not.
0:27:47 > 0:27:49So it was a bit...
0:27:49 > 0:27:50mixed emotions.
0:27:50 > 0:27:52You know, I'm happy for the one that's pregnant
0:27:52 > 0:27:56and disappointed for the one that isn't.
0:27:57 > 0:28:01Mel must now face the possibility that in 18 years' time
0:28:01 > 0:28:06she may be contacted by a child born from one of her donated eggs.
0:28:07 > 0:28:10I tried to put as much into my letter as possible
0:28:10 > 0:28:13so that they wouldn't need to look me up -
0:28:13 > 0:28:16not for my sake but for their sake and their parents' sake,
0:28:16 > 0:28:21because I imagine it must be a really difficult thing to do, to say...
0:28:21 > 0:28:25"I love you, Mum and Dad, but I want to go and find my biological mother".
0:28:25 > 0:28:29And if I can save them having to do that, then I will.
0:28:29 > 0:28:33But if they still want to look me up, then fine, you know,
0:28:33 > 0:28:35we'll cross that bridge when we come to it!
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