Aggregated News
Nicola and Nigel Dawson have experienced the frustration and heartbreak of infertility. The couple tried for several years to conceive naturally, but without success. "We learned that Nigel had problems with both the quality and quantity of his sperm, and that I had some irregularities in my hormone levels," recalls Nicola, a project manager.
That led to them starting fertility treatment. At first that involved three cycles of intracytoplasmic sperm injection, a technique widely used to tackle male infertility, which cost £15,000. Again, that did not work. "At the end of that we found out that the doctors thought I had premature ovarian failure - basically that I was heading for an early menopause, even though I was just 34," says Nicola, who is now 37. "My ovaries weren't working normally, my egg supply was diminishing and the quality was poor."
A doctor suggested that she try donor treatment. But when they went to one of London's most-respected private fertility clinics, they learned that it would take between 18 months and two years to receive donated eggs anywhere in the...