Lisa Riley, 45, is an actress and television presenter famously known by playing the character Mary Dingle in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale between 1995 and 2001. The actress has always had hopes of having a baby and shares her journey and heartbreak with IVF.
In vitro fertilization (IVF) is a complex series of procedures used to help with fertility or prevent genetic problems and assist with the conception of a child.
IVF is the most effective form of assisted reproductive technology.
The procedure can be done using your own eggs and your partner’s sperm.
Or IVF may involve eggs, sperm or embryos from a known or anonymous donor.
In some cases, a gestational carrier — a woman who has an embryo implanted in her uterus — might be used.
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Unfortunately, IVF treatment does not always work successfully, said The Fertility Partnership.
The site added: “Younger women have a higher chance of IVF success, with the success rate for women under 35 at 40 percent.
“IVF can fail for many reasons, and the chances are that it is completely out of your control.”
Riley and her partner decided to spare themselves the heartache and not pursue IVF.
She said: “My body was being pumped full of hormones to get my egg readings, and in the end they weren’t good. It messes with your head, and I just couldn’t do that to myself anymore.
“The past few months have been really hard, emotionally draining, and we just decided that enough was enough.
“I tried it, I gave it a go and it didn’t work.”