“Try for a year and then just have IVF” – sound familiar?

Annabelle gave birth to her first child in October 2020, and says she trusts Bill so much that if he could deliver her child she would have him there for the birth.

“I feel so genuinely strongly about spreading the message about CDS, and reaching as many women as possible so they can get the help that we did.

We started trying to conceive when I was 29, but it just wasn’t happening for us. We tried for a year and nothing, and I eventually had an operation to remove a cyst and some endometrial scarring.

We started trying again, and again it wasn’t happening for me – I did SO much research on the subject, and I’d find myself online at 3am, convincing myself I was infertile. I had multiple conversations and tests with lots of doctors and top specialists, and they all said the same thing – “don’t worry, try for a year and then just get IVF”.

The problem is when you’re trying, the doctors say ‘just relax and have a normal sex life, trying every couple of days’, though everyone who IS trying knows it isn’t like that – once you have an idea about your cycle everything is timed and scheduled, you’re so aware of your ovulation dates and it all feels very UNsexy. The year countdown to IVF adds another layer of pressure to it too. Every period feels like a failure, and doesn’t exactly get you in the optimum physical and emotional state to conceive, it’s such a messed up vicious cycle.

Eventually someone recommended I go and see Bill at CDS. Bill is so calm and informative and just took control – he makes you feel safe, takes the reigns, and you know you’re in good hands. After that first appointment I burst into tears, and there was an entire shift in how I felt about the whole process.

The first thing he said was “we don’t believe in IVF unless it’s a last resort”. He painted a really positive picture and we planned cycle monitoring – I had 2 scans and he immediately confirmed that I ovulated a week earlier than I thought I did, and on the second scan was able to tell me I had ovulated the day before from both ovaries. We then got pregnant straight away!

Not one doctor I had seen at all the private hospitals had even suggested that my ovulation date might have been one of the reasons it wasn’t working – it is assumed that EVERY woman ovulates 14 days after her period but we’re all different, and I would never have found that out if I hadn’t seen Bill.

I found it really frustrating that IVF was the only option given to me, and everyone was so blasé about it. My best friend went through it, and it is such a huge ordeal, not just physically but emotionally and financially. I was told over and over again, “try for a year then have IVF”, from some of the top doctors in the UK.

I just wish people who were trying to get pregnant were more open about it –  people get embarrassed about trying for a long time and feel like a failure, so as a society we’re too shy to talk about it. It’s such a shame, as Bill is such a hidden gem and if more people were open about their issues then more people would be able to get help from him.

If Bill could have delivered my baby I would have had him there – that’s how much I trust him. I did actually ask him but he said no! Maybe next time.”