by Woman Who Spent £40k Through 23 Fᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛs Over 11 Years Becomes Single Mum To Wins At 50
Manda Epton, from Sydney, Australia, embarked on a Fᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ journey alone and spent over £40,000 in ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛs. She is now the proud mum of twins Chloe and Freya, three
A woman spent £40,000 on Fᴇʀᴛɪʟɪ ᴛʏ ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛ and became a mum to twins at the age of 50. Manda Epton, 54, spent 11 years going through 23 Fᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛs and had three ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇs before she was finally successful. The woman, living in Sydney, Australia, had always dreamt of having a family of her own and when her long-term relationship turned sour, she embarked on a Fᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ journey alone. The fashion designer, originally from OxFᴏʀᴅ, UK, is now the proud mum of twins Chloe and Freya, three, after spending over £40,000 ($75,000 AUD) in ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛs.
Manda said: “I started doing ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛs when I was 39, as I’d always dreamt of having a family. I continued dating over the 10 years but always Fᴇʟᴛ ᴛʜɪs ᴘʀᴇssᴜʀᴇ as I still wanted children. I decided to do it alone with the help of a sᴘᴇʀᴍ ᴅᴏɴᴏʀ ᴀɴᴅ ᴇɢɢ ᴅᴏɴᴏʀ ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ IVF. I sᴛᴀʀᴛᴇᴅ ʙᴜʀɴɪɴɢ through my income and savings at Fᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ clinics. One of the ᴄʟɪɴɪᴄs ʀᴇFᴇʀʀᴇᴅ ᴍᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴀ ᴘsʏᴄʜᴏᴛʜᴇʀᴀᴘɪsᴛ who told me that I needed to come to ᴛᴇʀᴍs with the fact that I would never have children at 43.”
Manda underwent two and a half rounds of IVF, ᴀs ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʜɪʀᴅ ᴡᴀs ᴄᴀɴᴄᴇʟʟᴇᴅ ᴅᴜᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴏᴠᴀʀɪᴀɴ ʜʏᴘᴇʀsᴛɪᴍᴜʟᴀᴛɪᴏɴ – ᴀɴ ᴇxᴀɢɢᴇʀᴀᴛᴇᴅ ʀᴇsᴘᴏɴsᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴇxᴄᴇss ʜᴏʀᴍᴏɴᴇs, ᴡʜɪᴄʜ ɪs ᴀ ʀᴀʀᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴏF IVF, according to the NHS.
The mum had six ᴇᴍʙʀʏᴏs implanted and had two pregnancies that lasted eight weeks. She also had six IUI ᴅʀᴜɢ-ᴀssɪsᴛᴇᴅ Fᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ rounds and seven IUI-only rounds all of which were unsuccessful, despite another eight-week pregnancy. Her final round of Fᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ at Cape Town SA, Cape Fᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ, included a double ᴅᴏɴᴏʀ ᴇᴍʙʀʏᴏ ᴛʀᴀɴsFᴇʀ which resulted in her successful twin pregnancy.
She added: “I sᴛʀᴜɢɢʟᴇᴅ with the ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀɪᴀɢᴇs and part of me wanted to give up at points, but I really wanted children of my own. I even thought about ᴀᴅᴏᴘᴛɪᴏɴ, but the waiting list was seven years, and single women were at the bottom of the list.”
After witnessing her struggle, a friend recommended Manda visit Cape Fᴇʀᴛɪʟɪᴛʏ in South Africa. Not only had her friend had a successful pregnancy from the clinic, but it was much cheaper than what Manda was paying per ᴛʀᴇᴀᴛᴍᴇɴᴛ in Australia.
She said: “I got to choose the ᴅᴏɴᴏʀs and got to shop around. I come from a ʙʟᴏɴᴅᴇ hair and blue eyes background so chose a lovely egg donor from South Africa and got to shop around for a sᴘᴇʀᴍ ᴅᴏɴᴏʀ, eventually choosing one from Denmark.
“I spent £8,100 ($15,000 AUS) at the ᴄʟɪɴɪᴄ and had two ᴇᴍʙʀʏᴏs transferred, as it was my final chance and I really wanted at least one of them to be successful. I was in the stirrups like Bridget Jones during the procedure.”
After her time in South Africa, Manda travelled back to her home in Australia, crossing her fingers unsure if her pregnancy would be successful.
She said: “I went to my seven-week scan, genuinely worried that I would ᴍɪsᴄᴀʀʀʏ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ ᴀFᴛᴇʀ I ʜᴀᴅ ᴀ ʜᴇᴍᴀᴛᴏᴍᴀ ʙʟᴇᴇᴅ ʙᴇᴛᴡᴇᴇɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀᴍɴɪᴏᴛɪᴄ sᴀᴄᴋs. But my eyes almost popped out of my head when the woman pointed out that there were two babies.”
Manda gave birth to her twins ᴠɪᴀ ᴄ-sᴇᴄᴛɪᴏɴ in August 2018 at the age of 50 after a relatively healthy pregnancy.
She added: “I was ǫᴜɪᴛᴇ sɪᴄᴋ for the first five months of the pregnancy and had non-stop ᴠᴏᴍɪᴛɪɴɢ and being an older woman, I had a lot of injections to help me along too. But both my girls came out perfectly happy and healthy.”
Manda now spends as much time as possible with her daughters, claiming that being an older mum has many perks.
