I now have 3 children after 29 rounds of IVF

A woman has defied all odds after conceiving three children after an astonishing 29 of IVF - despite being told she was 'too old'.

Beth Hobson, 55, from Manchester, began IVF fifteen years ago despite being told she only had a 10 per cent chance at conceiving naturally.

The educational advisor, who spent £200,000 to undergo the 29 rounds of IVF, began treatment in mid-2009, and had 13 failed attempts before falling pregnant the 14th time.

In the 11 years since, she has given birth to two more children. During those years, she has also endured a number of miscarriages, as well as a stillbirth on Boxing Day in 2014.

Against all odds, Beth said she 'wanted to prove everybody wrong' - and show you're never too old to start a family.

She said: 'Never tell a northern girl she can't - I was told I was too old to be a mum, and I proved everyone wrong.

'You never get over the feelings of fear on IVF, even during pregnancy, never knowing when your next scan will be your last. But, I always said it was a non-negotiable that this had to have a happy ending - no matter what.'

The mother-of-three met her husband, 53, a special education teacher, after being set up on a blind date by colleagues in July 2007.

The two got married in July 2008, and got started on trying for a baby a few months later.

Beth, who was 40 at the time, was conscious the 'clock was ticking' and went to see a doctor to find out how likely she'd be to fall pregnant naturally.

'My doctor opened me up and looked at my fallopian tubes,' she remembered. 'I can remember her saying she was "very disappointed" to see I'd only have a 10 per cent chance at becoming a mum naturally. 

'I felt like apologising on behalf of my tubes. I remember sitting in the tiny room and thinking, "I'm not going to cry". I wanted to walk out, with my head held high, get in the car with my husband and google IVF clinics.'

Despite being told her chances were low, Beth was more determined than ever. 'I've always wanted to be a mum - and I was going to make it happen,' she said.

The couple immediately set to work researching and first fell on the Klinikk Hausken clinic, Norway.  The clinic had a high enough success rate and elected on the clinic, starting with five rounds of supervised IVF.

Much to the couple's despair, the first five rounds proved unsuccessful, so Beth moved to a clinic in London for another round.

'It was so brutal,' she said. 'I'd be in so much pain during the egg retrieval procedures. I'd have to travel from Exeter, where I now live, to London on the coach, in excruciating pain.'

And even after the agonising egg retrievals, the only one they took turned out not to be viable.

After researching a condition called immunofertility - which means the immune system mistakenly attacking reproductive cells or tissues - Beth found the IVFSERUM clinic in Athens, Greece.

She tested positive for the condition, and had seven more rounds of IVF under her new consultant, Penny. 

The seventh round proved successful - and in April 2012, she was delighted when she found out she was pregnant with her son, William, now 11.

She explained: 'Penny took me into her arms and told me, "we'll get you there". Every single bit of our salaries went on each round of IVF - but it was worth it. 

Beth eventually fell pregnant on attempt eight at the Athens clinic. Despite finally falling pregnant, Beth didn't feel she could relax until William had been born.

He was originally a triplet, but she sadly miscarried his siblings during her pregnancy.

Finally, putting her fear to rest, William was born via C-section on 15 January 2013 at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital.

A year later, in February 2014, the couple decided they wanted to give William a sibling.

Opting to continue with their IVF journey in Athens, Beth managed to fall pregnant successfully for a second time, giving birth to her son Thomas, now eight, on 11 November 2015.

Remembering the enduring ordeal, Beth described IVF as 'the trenches'.

'You run, fall down and pick yourself up - three months after holding a funeral for our stillborn baby and miscarriage, I found I was pregnant with Tom.'

Still wanting more, Beth continued trying for her third baby but was eventually told in 2019, at the age of 50, that was told she was 'too old' to keep trying in Athens.

She found a clinic in Cyprus who specialised in older mums and went through just two rounds of IVF until she fell pregnant again.

Then, on 27 April 2022, Beth had her first daughter, baby Grace.

Since then, Beth has had a partial hysterectomy immediately after the birth, leaving her unable to have any more babies.

In the 15 years of treatment, both Beth and her husband have forked out £200,000 to undergo 29 rounds of IVF.

'We saved money from our salaries, as well as donations from friends and family,' she explained.

'A lot of it was making sacrifices - not going on holidays, not having any treats. Every bit of spare money went in the pot. It was worth it - to have our happy ending,' she said.

HOW DOES IVF WORK?

In-vitro fertilisation, known as IVF, is a medical procedure in which a woman has an already-fertilised egg inserted into her womb to become pregnant.

It is used when couples are unable to conceive naturally, and a sperm and egg are removed from their bodies and combined in a laboratory before the embryo is inserted into the woman.

Once the embryo is in the womb, the pregnancy should continue as normal.

The procedure can be done using eggs and sperm from a couple or those from donors. 

Guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends that IVF should be offered on the NHS to women under 43 who have been trying to conceive through regular unprotected sex for two years.

People can also pay for IVF privately, which costs an average of £3,348 for a single cycle, according to figures published in January 2018, and there is no guarantee of success.

The NHS says success rates for women under 35 are about 29 per cent, with the chance of a successful cycle reducing as they age.

Around eight million babies are thought to have been born due to IVF since the first ever case, British woman Louise Brown, was born in 1978.

Chances of success

The success rate of IVF depends on the age of the woman undergoing treatment, as well as the cause of the infertility (if it's known).

Younger women are more likely to have a successful pregnancy. 

IVF isn't usually recommended for women over the age of 42 because the chances of a successful pregnancy are thought to be too low.

Between 2014 and 2016 the percentage of IVF treatments that resulted in a live birth was:

29 per cent for women under 35

23 per cent for women aged 35 to 37

15 per cent for women aged 38 to 39

9 per cent for women aged 40 to 42

3 per cent for women aged 43 to 44

2 per cent for women aged over 44