A couple who both have fertility issues and spent a decade trying to have kids have finally welcomed - twins. Diego Fernandez and his wife Mareike started trying to become parents as early as 2011 - but struggled to get pregnant.
After years of trying the pair eventually sought the help of Bristol Centre for Reproductive Medicine (BCRM) in 2016. Investigations revealed that both partners were struggling with fertility issues.
Diego was affected by a late operation for undescended testes, and Mareike suffering from endometriosis, adenomyosis and a lower-than-average egg reserve. Despite the difficulties though the pair never gave up, even after severe disruptions from COVID and moving both to Spain and Switzerland.
Amazingly though Mareike, from Germany, finally gave birth to twins sons Lorenzo and Jaime in October. Researcher Diego, from Spain, said: “It was a long wait, and we learned many life lessons in the meantime, including this memorable advice from another trying-to-conceive dad, which was: 'Always have a Plan B'."
Thanks to BCRM's efforts, twins Jaime and Lorenzo were born on 26 October 2022. Proud mum Mareike said that the pair had found the mental exhaustion of trying to conceive for so long unbearable - but they never gave up.
The disappointment of their first failed attempt at artificial insemination and the delays from COVID also took their toll on the pair's mental health. Mareike said: "It’s a hard journey, but we learned the most important thing is to go your own path and find what makes you happy. Live your life your way.
“We had been trying for five years with no success so I found myself struggling with my mental health when, in the middle of Covid, my sister – who had always been less child-oriented than me – conceived with no issues and had a baby. Counselling at BCRM gave me a new perspective at a time when we’d nearly given up and were starting to resign ourselves to possibly not becoming parents, and we are still in touch with people we met there."
After failing their first attempt at artificial insemination, the pair were advised to switch techniques to intracytoplasmic sperm injection by their specialist fertility consultant at BCRM Dr Abhi Paisal. The couple created four embryos via that method - but the first two attempts at inseminating them both failed.
Mareike added: “We were devastated but we didn’t want to give up. Dr Paisal was mindful of all the failed treatments we’d experienced and the challenges of our travel situation, so the decision was taken to transfer both our remaining embryos in one operation.
“By this time, BCRM had moved to their new clinic at Aztec West, and the procedure was surprisingly relaxing, with soothing music, and low lights. Then the two-week wait and, finally, success!
“We couldn’t be happier with our lovely boys. They bring us so much joy and we are loving being parents.
"We are eternally indebted to BCRM for enabling us to have them, and so grateful for the ongoing support they gave us during this very challenging chapter in our lives. They are a wonderful team, and we count ourselves as very fortunate to have been treated by them.”
