Media Release:

Parents to be...
Rachael and Ian's journey to conception

Soon after our wedding, we decided to try for a baby. We didn't want to put any pressure on ourselves so we stopped using contraception and let nature take its course. We didn't really think about it too much but looking back, I think getting pregnant was something we took for granted.

We knew we would have to make some lifestyle changes to prepare us for baby making and we decided to do it together. We both gave up alcohol and caffeine and I started on Elevit to ensure our baby would be protected against the risk of spina bifida.

A year later, when we still weren't pregnant, we decided to go and have some tests done to investigate if there were any medical problems that were preventing us from conceiving. We didn't mind waiting to fall pregnant even if it took a couple of years, but we wanted to make sure everything was in full working order.

At the time it was kind of ironic because in our younger years we spent most of the time trying NOT to get pregnant - we had always assumed that it must be easy!

Unfortunately for us, the tests confirmed that Ian had a low sperm count. He was naturally quite upset but not disheartened, so together, we decided to try IVF.

We began fertility treatment - I started on the injections and our doctor recommended Ian begin taking a men's antioxidant supplement called Menevit to help boost his sperm quality. He was delighted to be able to contribute to our growing family.

Ian had already been taking a variety of other tablets so when the doctor explained that Menevit was just one tablet daily, Ian's face lit up. It was so simple and easy! The fact that Menevit had all the ingredients of the other tablets he had been prescribed plus more was definitely a bonus. We sat down that evening and looked up the Menevit website (www.menevit.com.au) for more information and Ian began taking Menevit the very next day.

Between January and June 2008, we had two IVF procedures but neither was successful. I miscarried with the first procedure and we didn't conceive with the second.

We were disappointed after these two procedures. We'd heard about so many successful pregnancies as a result of IVF and it was very difficult for us to accept that to date it hadn't worked for us - we had always seen it as a last resort.

We didn't anticipate the strain that IVF could put on our relationship. We were considering our third IVF attempt, however we were both tired and I was fed up of the injections. Together we made the decision to take a break from treatment in an attempt to remove the pressure and enjoy ourselves again and this definitely brought us closer together.

Ian continued taking Menevit and one month after stopping IVF, we received the wonderful news that we were pregnant. We were absolutely delighted - after 18 months of trying, we were pregnant naturally and only six months after Ian began taking Menevit!

Our IVF clinic was delighted for us too and we even went into the clinic to celebrate with the team.

We decided against finding out the gender because we had already waited so long for our baby's arrival. We agreed that as long as our baby was happy and healthy, we didn't mind if it was a boy or girl.

Throughout this entire process, there were points along the way when we began to think about other options. In the back of my mind, I was still hoping we would fall pregnant at some point. We weren't ready to seriously consider what we would do if we couldn't conceive. I can now see that there was definitely extra stress and pressure on both of us, particularly for Ian. I think he blamed himself a little, believing it was his fault.

We would certainly recommend Menevit to our family and friends which explains why we are sharing our story on Mum Zone. We are so glad that we made the decision to give Menevit a go! There is absolutely no doubt we will be using it again when we try for our next baby.

Our baby Cassidy was born on the 28th of April 2009 and she is already two months old. She is a delightful and happy baby and we feel we have been blessed with an angel. We definitely have no reasons to whine, even about sleep deprivation because Cassidy usually sleeps about seven hours every night!

We have truly been blessed.

Mum Zone Release Date: 7th July 2009

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