Mike and Robyn Fergus used IVF to conceive their children Ollie, 2, and Harry, 2 weeks.
Mike and Robyn Fergus used IVF to conceive their children Ollie, 2, and Harry, 2 weeks.
Mother-of-two Robyn Fergus has a simple message for Tauranga couples struggling to conceive - get tested now.
In 2008, when she was just 24, Mrs Fergus and her husband, Mike, began trying for a baby.
Months went by before Mrs Fergus fell pregnant and she had known only two days when she miscarried.
She took the pregnancy as a positive sign but another six months passed and at 26 she received the shocking news that she was in early menopause and should begin fertility treatment as soon as possible.
Today Mrs Fergus, 30, and husband Mike, 35, are parents to Ollie, 2, and Harry, seven weeks, and every heartbreaking disappointment and moment where they felt like giving up are firmly in the past as they settle in to life as a family of four.
"Now that we know that that's it, we're complete, it's like a huge weight's been lifted off our shoulders."
The couple still have two embryos frozen, which they may consider donating to a couple trying to conceive.
"I would love to be able to give another couple the joy of having children. When we thought we had reached the end of the road, when nothing was working, I would have done anything to have a child and would have been very grateful for an embryo donation."
Last week Fertility New Zealand hosted the country's second Fertility Week - a chance to educate Kiwis about the five common reasons for infertility and remind couples they are not alone.
Fertility New Zealand president Nigel McKerras spent 10 years waiting for his little girl Abigail and now helps other families access information about the reasons they may not be conceiving and connect with the support available to them.
The week featured roadshows throughout New Zealand focusing on the five "usual suspects" that cause infertility. Online "webinars" were also held each week night - with a specialist on one of the five topics giving a talk, followed by a half hour open discussion.
Mr McKerras said Fertility Week reached out to couples at every stage of the journey to parenthood.
Meanwhile, Fertility Associates' Dr Lakshmi Ravikanti sees about 130 Tauranga couples both at the Hamilton Clinic and the once weekly clinic in Tauranga. Of these, more than 50 per cent had a baby within a year of starting treatment and many more got pregnant in the one or two years following.
"We have seen an increase of over a third since 2012. This could largely be due to the fact we have a clinic based in Tauranga now that can do consults, scans and testing. And the changing shape of Tauranga's demographic with many young couples moving to Tauranga to start their families," she told the Bay of Plenty Times.
Dr Ravikanti said a larger number of New Zealanders were turning to assisted reproductive technologies than 10 years ago.
"This is largely because we are having children later in life and technology has improved to give people better options."
She encouraged couples to seek advice sooner, rather than later and said in Tauranga and the Waikato this message seemed to be getting through.
"Within the region we are seeing women seeking help sooner than other areas throughout New Zealand. With the average age in Tauranga and Waikato being 30 to 34 years, and the rest of the country being 35 to 40 at Fertility Associates Clinics."
Kirsty Somers-Edgar and Scott Furness have finally had a baby, India Violet Furness, 11 weeks, on their fifth round of IVF. Photo / George Novak
Parents proud baby India is flag bearer for IVF
The letters I, V and F have been a big part of Tauranga couple Kirsty Somers-Edgar and Scott Furness' world so when their little girl arrived they decided to pay tribute to the process that brought her into their lives.
India Violet Furness (IVF) was born 11 weeks ago, ending a six-year string of heart-breaking fertility treatments - including four unsuccessful rounds of IVF.
Ms Somers-Edgar, 38, had always liked the name India and it was her husband, Scott, 44, who suggested a middle name starting with V. His first choice was quickly vetoed but the couple settled on Violet.
The quirky name twist is certainly the lighter side to what at times was a difficult journey to parenthood, with friends, family and workmates thinking baby India's full name is "quite cool", Ms Somers-Edgar said.
Mr Furness, a school teacher, and Ms Edgar-Somers, a massage therapist, first shared their fertility journey with the Bay of Plenty Times Weekend in 2012 when hope of having their own family was fading.
But something told Ms Somers-Edgar they had to keep going.
"Still at the back of my mind I felt that I was destined to be a mum."
Her advice to other couples is to follow their dream to have a child. "Believe that it really can happen for you. Follow it as long and hard as you can and you will get there."
