Woman told she may never conceive due to treatment for painful endometriosis celebrates after having her ‘miracle’ baby

A woman who was told she would probably never conceive due to a long-term condition that leaves her in constant pain, including being sick up to seven times a day, has celebrated after finally having her “miracle” baby.

Lucy Dench, 36, a postwoman, says the odds were against her after a treatment to lessen her endometriosis symptoms was rapidly depleting her egg count.

Lucy, who lives in Tingewick, Buckinghamshire, with her partner Ali Rixson, 34, an accountant, and their 15-month-old son, Bohdi, said: “He really is our miracle baby.

“I spent a lot of time after my diagnosis trying to come to terms with the fact that I probably wouldn’t have children, which was something I’d always wanted.

Lucy, who first met Ali through a mutual friend in 2017, says she had always wanted to be a mum but had been warned that her chances of conceiving were slim due to having a low egg count as a result of her condition.

Lucy said: “I spent years trying to find out what was wrong with me and, while I was diagnosed in 2018, I’d had symptoms for a lot longer than that.

“I went to the doctors and at first they thought I had polycystic ovaries but five years ago I was diagnosed with endometriosis.”

Endometriosis is a chronic condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows in other places, such as the ovaries and fallopian tubes, and affects one in 10 women of reproductive age in the UK.

Lucy said: “I suffered so much with pain and it’s something that still affects me everyday, but I was told about a treatment that could help my symptoms.”

In a bid to combat her condition, Lucy underwent a laparoscopy, where a small telescope is inserted into the abdomen to look directly at the internal tissue.

“My egg count was declining and I’d already had a low count to begin with due to my condition.

“Whatever chance I had of getting pregnant, those chances were getting smaller and smaller.”

“The doctor told me that if I wanted to be a mum then I should hold off on further treatment and start trying for a baby,” Lucy said.

“I had spent years since my diagnosis believing that I’d probably never have children, I knew the odds were against me, but all I’ve ever wanted was to be a mum.”

“We’d done a lot of research and looked at many clinics but we just felt this one was right,” Lucy said.

“We’d said to each other if we didn’t like it when we arrived then we could change our minds, but the staff were lovely and it just felt right.”

She said: “Of those eight eggs harvested, all died but one.

“It seemed so unlikely, but we went ahead with a donor and the one embryo was implanted into my uterus.

Lucy says that pregnancy felt like a break from her condition as she had no symptoms while carrying her baby.

She gave birth to a healthy baby boy, Bohdi, on December 9 2021.

Now, Lucy does not have any remaining eggs and Ali plans to carry their next child using the same donor.

Since giving birth, Lucy’s symptoms have also returned. She is in constant pain and experiences excruciating migraines and is physically sick daily.

Lucy said: “I throw up every single day – on a bad day it can be up to seven times, which is very difficult to deal with.

“It’s very depressing and affects me doing day-to-day activities because I have no energy.

“You don’t realise when you are young that you have a limited amount of time to have good enough eggs to make a baby.

“Then when you get older, you realise endometriosis can be life-changing and it could rob you of your happy ending. Thankfully, for us, the story has the happiest of endings.”