Man whose diabetes prompted fertility struggle where sperm travel in the wrong direction aims to raise £10k for IVF

A man with fertility problems caused by type 1 diabetes who wishes to have children has been denied IVF treatment on the NHS because his partner already has a son and is now desperately trying to raise £10,000 to pay for the procedure.

Josh Fenwick, 26, from Dover, Kent, was diagnosed with retrograde ejaculation in 2021 after his type 1 diabetes took a turn for the worse, which means his sperm fire in the wrong direction and his chances of having children naturally are “very slim”.

Despite being told that IVF was his best chance of one day starting a family with his partner, Raquel Russell, 31, Josh says he was “struck off” because he does not meet the NHS criteria.

Josh, who is training to be a highway maintenance manager, cannot afford to pay for the treatment, which can cost more than £5,000 a cycle, and has therefore set up a GoFundMe page.

“I’ve always wanted to have a child of my own and start a family with my partner,” he told PA Real Life.

Josh, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of three, managed to keep his blood sugar levels under control until he was a teenager.

“My sugars were always perfect and I didn’t have any problems,” he said.

“I basically gave up.”

Josh began losing weight at an alarming rate, a common symptom of unmanaged diabetes.

“I went down from 11 or 12 stone to about seven or eight stone,” he explained.

“I was pretty much close to dying.”

Fortunately, this is when Josh met Raquel through a mutual friend.

“But by that point, it was too late.”

Josh had already suffered nerve damage and was later diagnosed with retrograde ejaculation in April 2021, a condition whereby semen enters the bladder instead of being ejected through the penis during climax.

“That’s why it’s near on impossible to conceive naturally,” he said.

“The doctor told me, there is a very, very slim chance of me conceiving naturally but IVF is the way to go.

However, Josh does not meet the criteria issued by the Kent and Medway Integrated Care Board (ICB) for having IVF, which states that couples cannot have any existing children from their relationship or any previous relationship, even if adopted.

“It was kind of devastating when they told me that I would have to go down the IVF route,” he said.

“I was still hopeful, because I don’t have any children, so I thought that I could maybe get help on the NHS for that.

Josh’s partner Raquel has an 11-year-old son from a previous relationship and does not suffer from fertility problems.

Josh says he was told that if he wanted to have children of his own, he would have to pay for the treatment.

But Josh, who lost his job as an electrician during Covid, is currently training to be a highway supervisor and cannot afford the treatment.

“I’m not in the best paid job in the world – I’m still on an apprentice wage,” he said.

“There’s no chance of me getting that kind of money together just like that.”

The cost of private treatment can vary, but a single cycle can be up to £5,000 or more, according to the NHS.

“We never really had the courage to do it because we have never really asked people for help,” he said.

In a perfect world, Josh would like to have two children, but says at this point, he would be happy with “one healthy child”.

“I have always wanted two children of my own, but whatever the outcome, I’ll still be happy, because we’ve also got my partner’s son and he’s great.”

He added: “I don’t think I can thank people enough, even if it’s a quid or whatever.

“I don’t know how to put it into words, but thank you for helping us.”

To support Josh visit: www.gofundme.com/f/6yntz-ivf-treatment .