A woman who gave birth to twin daughters at 50 after nearly 11 years of trying to get pregnant says she spent over £40,000 on her fertility journey.
Manda Epton, who was born in Oxford but now lives in Sydney, Australia, started trying to get pregnant at 39 after her long-term relationship fell apart and she decided to try and get pregnant as a single mother.
The fashion designer endured 23 fertility treatments, and three miscarriages before, she finally gave birth to her daughters Chloe and Freya, three, after spending £40,000 to get them here.
She had six embryos implanted, of which she had two pregnancies that lasted eight weeks.
She also had six IUI drug assisted fertility rounds, and seven IUI only rounds all of which were unsuccessful, despite another eight-week pregnancy.
Her final round of fertility at Cape Town SA, Cape Fertility included a double donor embryo transfer which resulted in her successful twin pregnancy.
She adds: ‘I struggled with the miscarriages and part of me wanted to give up at points, but I really wanted children of my own.
‘I even thought about adoption, 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 Fertility in South Africa.
‘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 at 50-years-old via c-section in August 2018, after a relatively healthy pregnancy.
She added: ‘I was quite sick for the first five months of the pregnancy and had non-stop vomiting, 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.
She said: ‘I feel as though, at 54, I’m a bit wiser and don’t do technology the way younger parents do these days.
‘So I’m out here spending more time playing with them at the park and doing fun activities, rather than ignoring them and being on my phone.
‘Being freelance, and having my own business Maud N Lil Organic Cotton where we make organic comforters and soft toys for children, means I can spend as much time with them as I can.