28 March 2024 , 14:51
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A couple have welcomed a 'miracle' IVF baby after they opted for genetic testing - which is more common in mum's native Thailand.
Jarmmy, 39, and John Greenwood, 49, met in Thailand at a wedding anniversary party where John was a guest and Jarmmy was the party planner. They married in 2017 then relocated to the UK and settled in Taunton in Somerset and were keen to a family straight away. The couple both had fertility issues and bought a two cycle package of IVF at fertility company BCRM in Bristol.
Sadly first time round Jarmmy miscarried but on their second round of IVF they decided to use the genetic testing available at BCRM. The test can minimise the risk of miscarriage by enabling the selection of the healthiest of the embryos created in the lab. It is not very common in the UK - but it is common practice in Thailand for would-be mums in their late 30s or 40s, so Jarmmy was very pro.
Happily in December 2023 Jarmmy gave birth to a baby son weighing 3.9kg at Musgrove Park Hospital. Software architect, John, said: "After more than a year of trying without success, Jarmmy had some diagnostic tests that revealed blocked fallopian tubes. 'We also learned I had a low sperm count. Obviously we were very disappointed, but we were led to understand we could still conceive if we used IVF.
"We decided to buy a two-cycle package and couldn't believe our luck when Jarmmy became pregnant after just one cycle - we felt like we'd entered 'baby heaven'. Life had never been better, and we started to think about names, looking at baby clothes in the shops, and spent our evenings thinking and planning about life after the baby was born.
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John, Jarmmy and baby Robbie Greenwood (Empica/SWNS)"But we didn't know that sadness was around the corner: Jarmmy miscarried at just seven weeks. I'm not ashamed to admit we both cried that day. After that, we had a decision about what to do next. In the end, it was my dad who influenced us most. He reminded me of the great happiness he and my mum had from their children and many grandchildren my nephews and nieces.
"Jarmmy felt the same. By looking back at our family trees, it helped us to look forwards to what could possibly come to be, so we decided to use the second cycle of IVF we had paid for. This time we also decided to use the genetic testing available at BCRM. This test can minimise the risk of miscarriage by enabling the selection of the healthiest of the embryos created in the lab.
''It's not terribly common in the UK, although it's common practice in Thailand for would-be mums in their late 30s or 40s, so Jarmmy was very pro. She became pregnant again immediately, and we were so happy but cautiously so, in case history repeated itself."
Baby Noah (CentreReproductiveMedicine/SWNS)Jarmmy said: "I was very grateful for the counselling provided by BCRM. I worried that my body was going to let me down, and their support gave me confidence and lifted me when I felt anxious." His delighted parents named him Robert, after John's dad who sadly passed away before the birth of the baby he had encouraged the pair to keep trying for.2
John Greenwood said: "We would very much like to encourage other would-be parents who are struggling to conceive not to fear IVF. BCRM do fantastic work and Jarmmy and I sincerely hope that other couples who find themselves in the position we were in can eventually experience the same joy their team gave us with the birth of our son.
"There are highs and lows on a fertility journey, and maybe sometimes there will sometimes be grief and disappointment, but please believe me when I say that all of this is very much worth it. Our son is so beautiful and we love him so much. I feel the reason I was born was to be his dad."