Neil and Monique Ward have spent around £100,000 and 25 years trying for babies of their own, and were about to give up when Mrs Ward finally fell pregnant with twins.
Ben and Walker Ward were conceived using donor eggs and sperm after a staggering 17 attempts at in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and various other infertility treatments. They were delivered by Caesarean section on December 29 a little earlier than expected. Mrs Ward, 46, a nurse, said: 'When I held them for the first time my eyes just filled up with tears.....We have both wanted this for so long now it seemed unreal everything had finally come true for us. They're our little miracles - both are perfectly healthy and neither of us can believe they are really here.....'
The couple started trying for a baby after marrying in May 1985, but after six months with no success, went for tests which showed that Neil had a low sperm count. Although he had had a vasectomy after fathering his three daughters in a previous relationship, it was reversed before he married Monique.
Fertility experts today say it is commonly recognised that vasectomies can adversely affect the male sperm count. The procedure also encourages anti-sperm antibodies to form in the tissues at the point of the blockage, which attack and further damage sperm.
In 1986, the couple started artificial 'intrauterine' insemination on the NHS, where Mr Ward's sperm sample was filtered to ensure only the most potent, high quality sperm was inserted directly into the womb.
When the procedure, and seven further attempts all failed, the couple turned their hopes to a private clinic offering IVF because the procedure wasn't available on the NHS locally. They spent £12,000 on three failed attempts.
Next the couple went on to see a Harley Street fertility expert at a cost of £1,000, including travelling expenses, and by 1994 had started a newly-introduced procedure called Intracytoplasmic Sperm Injection(ICSI) at a cost of £5,000.
In ICSI only one sperm is needed, which is injected directly into the egg. It is now used in around half of all IVF procedures and offers hope to couples where the man has a very low sperm count but still produces few good-quality sperm, as the sperm does not have to travel to the egg. The Wards remortgaged their house to pay for four rounds of ICSI, but unfortunately all of them failed.
In 2002 they went to the Midland Fertility Services clinic in Aldridge, West Midlands, where they were told Mrs Ward's age meant they would need also need donor eggs to have any chance of success. As there was a 2 year waiting list there, they started investigating other options and found the IVI Fertility Clinic in Valencia, Spain. In November 2008, donor eggs and sperm were put directly into Monique's uterus but it didn't work. Alltogether it had cost £17,000.
A final, follow-up attempt was carried out 5 months later at a cost of nearly £10,000, and, amazingly, Mrs Ward finally fell pregnant with her miracle twins. Mr. Ward said: 'I hope this shows other couples that even if it looks hopeless, there are ways to make it work.'
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