Our Journey is Just Beginning: IVF, Egg Donation and the Impact of Infertility on Mental and Physical Health - Interview with Tia Brown

In this episode, Zoe speaks to Tia about her journey with Lee to creating a family. They talk about the many failed IVF attempts, her experience of care, using an egg donor and the impact this has had on Tia’s emotional and physical health.   KEY TAKEAWAYS   Tia met her husband Lee online on a dating app. They would spend hours on the phone talking at the beginning, they then had their nervous first date and the rest is history. After 18 months of trying to become pregnant, Tia and Lee went to the Dr and they found that Tia’s bloods showed she had a very low chance of conceiving a child naturally. She later found out she had premature Ovarian Insufficiency. They had their first round of IVF in December 2019 but this was unsuccessful and Tia really struggled both mentally and physically dealing with the aftermath of this. They had more rounds of IVF and Tia began to suffer suicidal thoughts; but the hope she had for a positive outcome pushed her through. After 3 ½ years of trying Tia and Lee looked into egg donation and it was this process that has now allowed them to be pregnant with twins. Tia and Lee will raise their twins knowing how they were conceived. They hope that by doing this it will make it less traumatic for them. They are even going to make a book that tells them the journey their parents took to have them including information about their donor. After receiving less than the best care in the UK, Tia and Lee decided to look into egg donation and clinics abroad. They used the company Your IVF Abroad who matched them to the right country and then to the right clinic for them and their needs. A PTSD diagnosis is just one of the mental impacts that Tia is now suffering with. She is getting good help and support but still struggles, especially when people at appointments make comments without knowing her journey and what she has had to endure to get to this point. BEST MOMENTS “The thoughts of Lee’s sperm with another ladies’ eggs made me feel jealous” “Sometimes you’ve got to put yourself in a vulnerable situation to be able to learn and develop” “I just want the worries of a normal mum” “I always get the same questions over and over again… so I have to tell the story and am traumatising myself again and again”   VALUABLE RESOURCES https://www.yourivfabroad.co.ukwww.petalscharity.org www.tommys.org www.arc-uk.org www.sands.org.uk   ABOUT THE GUESTTia Brown @the.browns.journey.to.four https://www.yourivfabroad.co.uk IVF Treatment abroad in Europe organised by successful patients in UK We offer practical and emotional support to facilitate your low cost fertility treatment abroad, in Europe at renowned IVF clinics with high success rates and no waiting lists. Contact us now, we are here for you, every step of the way. www.yourivfabroad.co.uk ABOUT THE HOST Zoe Cresswell Devoted mother of two (and a big hairy dog), UK trained midwife, doula and personal trainer, specialising in pre and postnatal fitness. Zoe was born in the UK and before moving to Dubai in 2013 and worked as a midwife in central London, both in a birth centre and a very busy NHS hospital. Although late to the scene, Zoe is an aspiring athlete having won numerous triathlons and representing Great Britain where she placed within the top 10 on the world stage. With her husband James, the couple will soon be launching their cloth nappy company, Bop & Bee, where they hope to inspire families to swap a few disposable nappies a day for the more planet friendly option of cloth. Zoe’s goal is to share her knowledge and experience, tell real life stories, manage expectations and open up those often difficult conversations. Zoe’s own motherhood journey has been full of twists and turns as she put everything on hold and went through numerous miscarriages and rounds of IVF.   CONTACT DETAILS Instagram : @zoecresswell_me Facebook: Zoe Cresswell LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/zoe-cresswell