Sister to be surrogate for older sibling trying to conceive for ten years

Fertility and IVF

A woman from Teeside has offered the ultimate gift of life to her older sister who has been trying to have a baby for more than ten years

Shauna Smith, a mother-of-three, told Teesside Live it has been ‘heartbreaking’ watching her sister, Kayleigh, go through the heartache of not being able to conceive.

Kayleigh said: “Since being a teenager I’ve always wanted kids.

“About ten years ago my husband, Nathan and I started trying for children.

“We tried for about two years but nothing happened and we decided to go to the doctors to see if there was something wrong.”

Nathan’s tests came back fine, but Kayleigh was advised to have surgery to investigate further.

It was discovered Kayleigh’s fallopian tubes were blocked, she had a cyst on one of her ovaries and she had a heart-shaped womb.

The couple had two unsuccessful rounds of IVF and due to the stress and pressure of the fertility treatment, Kayleigh was diagnosed with an eating disorder.

She was given prescription drugs and therapy to help her combat anorexia after losing weight quickly.

She is now on the mend and her health is in a much better place.

But due to the illness and the battering her body has taken, Kayleigh’s eggs are not good enough to be used.

Step forward sister Shauna who has agreed to help the couple realise their dream.

Shauna has started taking ovulation tests to find out when she is most fertile and they will use artificial insemination, with Nathan being the biological father of the baby, and having parental rights.

Kayleigh will be able to legally adopt the baby after six months.

Shauna said: “I actually feel better when I’m pregnant, I feel healthier.

“Kayleigh has asked me before but I said no because I have my own kids.

“But now I am 110 percent sure I don’t want any more kids.

“It’s going to be difficult and I am scared but I know it is not going to happen overnight.”

Did you help a relative to have a child? Were you a surrogate for a friend? We’d love to hear your story, email mystory@ivfbabble.com

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As a survivor of 3Fs – a failed fertility treatment, a failed adoption, and a failed marriage – Salise is no stranger to life-changing setbacks. Which is why she has dedicated the last few years of her life and career to helping single individuals and couples realise their dream of having a family of their own.

Having travelled extensively and lived abroad in London since 2001, Salise has been at the forefront of knowing the cutting-edge medicine and technology available to treat infertility, both in the UK private healthcare industry and abroad.

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Her powerful and inspiring presentations, workshops, and speeches is why she has been appointed as the Vice President of Public Relations for the London Chapter of Toastmasters International.

When she’s not helping families achieve their dream of having a baby, Salise spends her time volunteering, cycling through Central London, and is not a stranger to enjoying a good slice of cake.

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Salise Haith Owner of Lohojo Fertility Support Services http://www.lohojo.co.uk
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Giving birth and/or the early stages of parenthood should be your biggest achievement, not your biggest fear.”

Welcome to Fertility, Birth and Beyond.
Birth Doula, Postnatal Doula, Hypnobirthing Teacher, Placenta Remedies Specialist and Holistic Fertility Coach across Nottingham, Derby and Online.

They provide 3-Step Rewind sessions for Traumatic Birth Recovery.

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The Dovecote Fertility Support

Supporting, enabling and inspiring people dealing with involuntary childlessness to reconnect with their daily lives and rediscover a passion and purpose.

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Relax with Lucy & Co

Relax With Lucy & Co was set up to offer well-being and mental health support through the provision of mindfulness & relaxation interventions. The organisation was set up by our founder Lucy Livesey – mental health nurse and bereaved mother following the loss of her daughter Ellie in 2017.

Lucy and her team of instructors deliver projects to help support the baby loss community through the development of mindfulness & relaxation resources. They offer both well-being baby loss tailored support in addition to general well-being support to help people improve their overall sense of wellbeing.

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Nurtured Munchkin

Nurtured Munchkin offers antenatal classes and Hypnobirthing courses as group sessions, private classes in Woking and surrounding areas, and online all over the world. All the courses are run by Paula Lavandeira, senior midwife and DipHB(KG) hypnobirthing teacher with more than 13 years of experience.

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Fertility Issues in Teaching

Fertility Issues In Teaching

Fertility Issues in Teaching are the first and only organisation that delivers specialist consultancy and training exclusively for schools. Raise awareness around the mental, emotional, social and financial impact of staff experiencing infertility and pregnancy loss in an environment where 75% of teachers are women.

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Desi Radio London

Desi Radio is a registered Charity working to promote the Punjabi language, culture and the integration of the Punjabi Community in the UK. It airs Educational topics for its listeners and Fertility First UK will be sponsoring and featuring in their Radio Listener Call-ins focusing on Infertility and the A-Z Journey of IVF.

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Andrew Coutts - CEO of the International Fertility Company

Andrew Coutts is one of the fertility industry’s best travelled individuals having visited and worked with over 180 clinics worldwide. He is a regular speaker, writer and commentator on cross border fertility treatment and male fertility. Andrew is the CEO of the International Fertility Company (IFC), an independent consultancy which offers a concierge service to patients seeking Fertility assistance both overseas and in the UK. He is a PhD researcher at the Centre for Reproduction Research at the De Montfort University (DMU) in Leicester, UK, working on his specialist area, male factor fertility.

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The Fertility Foundation

The Fertility Foundation is a UK Charity which aims to provide support and help to individuals and couples with advice, information and ultimately , practical assistance in accessing fertility treatment. The Foundation was created with the overwhelming desire to help as many people as we can to either start or extend their Family.

With the NHS funding cuts showing no signs of stopping they are creating a fund to provide financial assistance to individuals and couples who are struggling to afford treatment. They are more than a Charity that provides IVF Funding as they also run educational events across the UK.

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Best Fertility Now

Best Fertility Now is a fertility media company, writing all about male and female fertility factors, global and personal interest stories, science, mental and physical health, all to give access to support and advice on fertility journey.

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Enhanced Fertility Programme

Enhanced Fertility Programme was founded by Andreia Trigo RN BSc MSc, Fertility Nurse Consultant. Their vision is to improve global accessibility to personalised fertility care, at minimal cost to populations. Enhanced Fertility use research, clinical skills and technology to create products with global reach to make personalised fertility care accessible to all.

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Ian Stones

Ian Stones is considered one of the UK’s leading fertility experts helping couples wishing to start a family. Ian has extensive experience and training as a fertility acupuncturist with over 15 years in practice. Ian also works as a male fertility coach offering 1:1 support to men allowing them to properly understand their fertility and options.

Through his unique system, Ian helps couples to improve their lifestyle, diet and overall health to enhance their fertility. Ian is a passionate campaigner for equality in fertility services, recognising from over 15 years’ experience the unspoken toll on men going through fertility treatment.

Ian is also co-director of testhim, a unique platform offering men essential guidance around their fertility, testing and treatments.

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Examen

Examen is a world leader in male fertility testing, based on its heritage of over 25 years in male reproductive health and fertility treatment research. We specialise in measuring sperm DNA fragmentation (known as sperm DNA damage) to help predict the likelihood of conception, miscarriage and the success of fertility treatment.

Sperm DNA damage is one of the most important factors causing male infertility. Examen has developed the Exact test to empower men to take control of their own fertility.

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The Mancave

Kevin Button - "The Mancave"

‘The Mancave’ @them_ancave was created through personal experience and was to help break the stigma around male infertility. Why should we suffer in silence?!

“I believe anxiety and depression go hand in hand with fertility issues, and I honestly believe men have taken their own lives due to the fact they have had very little or no help or support after being told they are infertile. Because of this, I plan to make a difference and I want you guys to come along on this journey with me. Let’s do this together; for us, for those that have suffered in silence before us and for the men of the future, who hopefully won’t have to suffer alone.”

Kevin drives “The Mancave” project and is an Ambassador of Fertility Network UK.

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ExSeed

“We’re on a mission to change fertility. At ExSeed Health we’re male health experts on a mission to address the 40% of all infertility that’s male related but currently remains largely neglected across the globe!

We built our company to utilize the latest scientific advances in fertility and health research to offer a range of innovative products, enabling men and couples to take ownership of their reproductive health in the comfort of their own home.

We’re also proud to break unnecessary taboos and create awareness around male fertility in the process by making the conversations on the male part easier and straightforward – as they should be.”

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UR Vistahermosa

UR Vistahermosa is part of the UR International Reproduction Group, which currently carries out more than 11,000 reproduction cycles in Spain and boasts clinics in Alicante, Madrid, Malaga, Valencia, Murcia, Granada, Almeria, Cadiz, Jerez de la Frontera, Zaragoza, Oviedo, Cartagena and Lerida. It also has international units in Latin America in Managua and Mexico City.

At UR Vistahermosa we have multidisciplinary teams made up of gynaecologists, embryologists, geneticists, andrologists, anaesthesiologists, psychologists, nursing staff and assistants, so each case can be approached uniquely to achieve our goal – pregnancy.

When it comes to international patients, we know that setting off on the journey towards pregnancy means adapting to their needs. Our entire team works together to make the process as smooth and efficient as possible.

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Tambre Fertility Clinic Madrid

More than 40 years of experience, our extensive career in the world of reproductive medicine has allowed us to achieve the highest success rates not only in Spain but throughout Europe. The latest technology to guarantee you a healthy baby. We have the latest technology in assisted reproduction: GERI, Time Lapse, Fenomatch, PGS, Chip Fertile, RI Witness, ERA, etc.

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Dr Belinda Coker

Belinda has had an extraordinary career overcoming adversity whilst shattering the glass ceiling. Belinda completed her medical degree at the prestigious Imperial College School of Medicine. After spending three years training in obstetrics, gynaecology and sexual health at the highly-regarded Chelsea & Westminster Hospital, Belinda then spent two further years working in sexual and reproductive health and community gynaecology before training to become a GP.

A few years later, Belinda started to work in healthcare management, specialising in service design, patient experience, and safety, alongside her clinical practice. She was soon promoted to senior leadership roles within the NHS. After completing an Executive MBA program in Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Design at Imperial College Business school and winning the IBM prize for innovation, design and entrepreneurship, Belinda reached the executive level and became a board director.

During the last 10 years, Belinda provided advice and expertise to highly reputable healthcare organisations and innovative digital health companies that have created tech apps, gadgets, products, and online healthcare services. Throughout this time, she continued to practice as a GP in London.

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Yemi Adegbile

Yemi Adegbile

 I am a Fertility Clinic Lead nurse with over 20 years in the fertility sector. I have worked in both the NHS and private sectors, including 17 years at Barts Centre for Reproductive Medicine and 5 years at the Assisted Conception Unit of Guy’s and St Thomas’.
My area of interest and passion is raising awareness in the black and minority ethnic communities about fertility issues, accessing fertility care and organising local forums to help singles and couples B.A.M.E patients navigate through their fertility journey.

  • Executive member of Nigeria Nurses Charitable association UK.
  • Organiser of bespoke packages for BAME patients who need Egg or Sperm donation both home and abroad.
  • Founder of Fertility Support Hub, a charitable organisation who raises awareness to the ethnic community about fertility issues.
  • Executive member of London Fertility Nurses Forum.
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Dr. Zara Hosany - Psychologist, HCPC - Clin. Psych.

I am Dr Zara Hosany, a Clinical Psychologist with over 20 years experience working in mental health. I offer a range of interventions: individual work with adults, young people, parents, couples, family therapy; supervision for qualified professionals and trainees; coaching and mentoring, consultation work with organisations, and reflective spaces for groups.

I use a variety of approaches in my work, which includes CBT, DBT, IPT, Systemic, Narrative, Solution-focussed, Psychodynamic, Play and Attachment based therapies. I welcome explorations of race, culture, spirituality, sexuality, and other aspects of identity.

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Andreia Trigo

Andreia Trigo

“My name is Andreia Trigo and I am a nurse consultant, researcher and founder of Enhanced Fertility. My passion for working in this area comes from my own diagnosis of infertility at a very young age

The journey to finding out what was happening in my body took years, several medical appointments, blood tests, invasive treatment and even surgery.

My goal is to help people be diagnosed sooner, get referred to fertility specialists that can help them and create a personalised treatment plan that increases their chances of conception.”

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Natural Fertility Healthcare

Have you been trying for ages with no success? Have you had poor fertility test results? Are you feeling desperate and like you left it too late? Maybe guilty for having a career or not looking after your body? Do you feel like hope is fading and in a panic to find a solution quickly? Do you feel alone and fearful much of the time? You’ve tried so much as a couple and feel you failed in some way?

Do something really positive now to overcome the challenge and desperation you feel.

​Mama Be works with and through these issues to help restore your body’s natural health and fertility.

Regardless of whether you have suffered from unexplained infertility, secondary infertility, low AMH results, failed IVF, PCOS endometriosis, hormone imbalance, have poor hormone and/or sperm results, or even miscarriage issues treatment is possible.

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International Fertility Company

The International Fertility Company (IFC) is a concierge based service assisting patients to identify and access the most appropriate fertility treatment at home or abroad. Working across 24 countries and with 180 clinics. IFC has an experienced team of former patients, medics, therapists and coaches who provide bespoke packages of care, support, treatment and information.

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Dr. Amina Hersi

Dr. Amina Hersi - General Practitioner and Expert on PCOS

“When I was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) over 10 years ago I remember it being such a confusing time. Through my years as a doctor, I came to understand the importance of diet and lifestyle in managing such a complex condition.”

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