"We named our baby Harley to honour this fantastic clinic!"

“We couldn’t have had a better experience with HSFC”

You most certainly remember when we shared the news about baby Harley being born (click here to read the first announcement about her birth.) Yes, she was named after our clinic, and this is Harley’s story, as told by her parents, lecturers Jasmin and Patrick.

Experience at the clinic

“We could not have had a better experience, the Harley Street Fertility Clinic have been just fantastic,” they both start. “Professional from start to finish,” continues Patrick. “They gave us expert advice every step of the way. They didn’t force us to choose any treatment, they’ve been very clear, no pressure at all. All the staff are outstanding. An amazing journey!”

Although they were both nervous and anxious, they said the staff helped overcome their fears by guiding them and supporting them through their entire fertility journey.

Jasmin adds, “You could say how grateful we are because we named our daughter after the clinic.”

Medical history

Jasmin and Patrick were trying for a baby for a long time. One day, Jasmin decided to go to the GP and do fertility tests. “My blood tests came back ok, his sperm tests inconclusive,” says Jasmin. She knew something was not right. “It was 11^th January 2019, I’ll never forget the day. It was a horrible day. I had this appointment at the hospital for a scan. The face of the sonographer was alarming, she said, ‘Oh dear, you haven’t got many eggs left,’ and I was thinking, can you even see that? She continued, ‘You haven’t got many on the right, don’t get me started on the left’. I remember going out, crying and telling Patrick.

Finding the best fertility clinic in London

After her appointment, Jasmin went to work and, she continues, “I told my best friends at work, while I was crying, what had happened. Then I went to teach, and a couple of hours later my friends told me they looked into fertility clinics. ‘The NHS takes took long, I am sure you can do it privately, so why not, they said. My friends have spent a lot of time researching IVF clinics and suggested ‘If you want something done well, you go to Harley Street.’ There was a long waiting list to see an IVF specialist at NHS, at least 3 months later and I couldn’t wait that long. I rang HSFC on Friday and I got an app on Tuesday,” says Jasmin.

The fertility tests

Patrick and Jasmin continue their fertility story: “We were seen by Dr Venkat from the beginning, all the way through. Sperm and blood tests, scans, everything was done on the same day, very efficient. I always felt like I was at home. I have to mention Stephen, the receptionist, and Dharshi, the egg donor coordinator.”

Patrick’s tests were good, but Jasmin’s tests showed that she was pre-menopausal so her chances of getting pregnant with her own eggs were smaller.  “One of the things I loved was the transparency. We had a meeting with Dr. Venkat and she said “for women over 40, there is a 40% chance of getting pregnant with own eggs. In your case 0.4%” so she suggested to use an egg donor,” says Jasmin.

The match

As they set out to start their IVF with egg donor, they gave the clinic the description of the person who would make the egg donation.

”The donor was a perfect match for us, as I am a black British, and Jasmin is from South America, we wanted a Latin American. It happened that we were matched with a donor that was Latina, so it was incredible,” says Patrick. “The egg donor was contacted straight away and gave me 10 eggs, from which 5 were viable” continues Jasmin.

IVF treatment

For Jasmin and Patrick, IVF worked the first time, Harley being conceived at the first cycle. “It is a long process but absolutely worth it. We have 2 more frozen embryos, so we have 2 more cycles. It’s great we had more choices, in case the first one didn’t work or if we decide to have more children in the future.”

“Every couple’s situation is different. Each case is unique. If you have a similar case like me, where early menopause runs in the family, maybe you should consider other options,” says Jasmin.

Jasmin confesses that it wasn’t a shock for her that she was never going to have a biological child. “I know I wanted to have a child with Pat, if it was through IVF or adopted, I was going to give this child all my love.”

Jasmin and Patrick’s advice for other couples

Jasmin says, “lean on your partner. You have lots of medicines to take, one day you will cry, but this is just phase, and all you have to think about is the child you will have at the end of all this.”

Patrick adds, “From a father’s point of view, for guys whose partners are going through fertility treatment, you need to be very supportive and understanding and realise the agony, the emotions, anxiety, nothing can pay for that. For me, Harley Street suggested I gave the injections  - I was petrified but the clinic showed me how to do it, and I had to do it. That’s one thing. Take charge of the situation! Don’t let the woman do everything. If you think positive, everything will happen, it was our first time and we were lucky.”

The price

“Our experience with Harley Street? Some people might say it’s expensive, but you get what you pay for,” says Patrick and Jasmin agrees with him. “Depending on the criteria, you can get free NHS. Where we live we couldn’t have it because of our age and because Patrick already has children. Going for NHS treatment was going to be slightly cheaper. But I wanted to do everything as soon as possible, so instead of paying a bit less and wait for 3 months, or go to HSFC, have all the tests done in the morning and have the results in the afternoon then just start.”

Patrick has a message for people seeking to start a family,, “Go to Harley Street! They know what they are doing.”

Baby Harley

“We didn’t know if it was a girl or a boy, so we started to call her Harley. I didn’t like to call the baby “it” so we started to call the baby Harley,” says Jasmin.

“When I look back, it was just meant to be. Everything came at the right time,” says Jasmin.

Patrick says, “enjoy the journey- time goes quickly. Wishing everyone the best of luck, and we cannot recommend HSFC highly enough.”

The lockdown

“The lockdown has been bad for most people, but for me, it’s been a blessing,” says Jasmin. “Patrick was at home, supporting me, a massive help. As Harley is my first child, it’s been great to have him home, as he is a father already and knows how to support me.”

Inspiration for other couples

They hope that their story will give hope and inspiration to other couples. “It’s a long story, but you have to believe, and if you believe, it will happen. Do what you think it’s best for you!”

Jasmin concludes: “Thank you to everyone, it’s been an amazing journey, and who knows, we might see each other again! “

Listen to the podcast below.

If you would like to start your fertility journey with HSFC, we are happy to help you with any information you need and walk you through the best-suited options for you...

To find out more about IFV with donor eggs, you can watch our recordings from a previous webinar, "IVF with donor eggs".

You can read more on our website about IVF with donor eggs, IVF or IUI.

If you are looking to start your fertility journey, please call us on 020 7436 6838 email us at info@hsfc.org.uk.