"IVF was our only option to conceive because of blocked fallopian tubes, and we chose Manchester Fertility after careful research. Everyone there was always helpful and professional – it never felt like a medical environment. We had some issues with hormone levels and finally had egg recovery. Just one egg fertilised….but this strong little egg developed into identical twins! Meadow and Kirsten were born in May 2004, six weeks early. Despite underdeveloped lungs at the time of their birth, they went from strength to strength, and we are proud to say they have since become incredible athletes, swimming for a club in Middleton. They have won medal after medal, both girls are the best in the North West and in the top 20 in the whole of Great Britain in freestyle, backstroke and butterfly. Our proudest moment was the County Championships, when Meadow ran alongside Kirsten encouraging her in her heat – she won gold. . We have always said they are good on their own but far better together! They are now competing in the Under 11’s English Schools Swimming Association National Relay event for Hulme Grammar, which they qualified for at just nine years old. "When people say that IVF is a roller coaster of emotion it’s an understatement...it’s actually the biggest roller coaster in the world with enormous highs and painful lows and the realisation that you and your partner aren’t travelling in the same car despite being on the same track. We finished on an unimaginable high…and couldn’t have dreamed this would be the outcome. We just listened intently to the successes of fertility treatment and hoped it would happen to us. I hope our story of our strong, healthy girls goes some way to helping those buckling up for this bumpy ride. The process can be tough – but hope and support helped us through it."
