Couple successfully conceives despite setbacks

Talia Brown gave birth earlier this year after a successful first cycle of IVF. The new mum is one of a growing number of UAE residents seeking IVF treatments.

Gregg Lapins, his wife Talia and their eight-month-old son Cooper at their villa in Abu Dhabi on September 9, 2014. Christopher Pike / The National

ABU DHABI // When Talia Brown laid eyes on her baby boy for the first time, she could hardly believe her luck.

After struggling to conceive for more than a year, the 35-year-old gave birth to her son earlier this year after a successful cycle of IVF.

Ms Brown and her husband, Gregg Lapins, had been trying for 15 months before deciding to seek medical help.

“We were taking a while to fall pregnant and I was going through to tests to check I was all OK. After a couple of months I was fine and thought I would get my husband checked.”

Mr Lapins was tested in January last year and the 39-year-old was given the news neither he or his wife expected, nor wanted, to hear.

“They found a tumour in one of his testicles,” said Ms Brown, an Australian expatriate who has been living in the UAE for four-and-a-half years.

“So he had a week between being told that and needing to have an operation to have the testicle removed.”

The couple were advised to preserve Mr Lapins’ sperm should any consequent treatment or possible therapy cause adverse effects.

“He was advised to store some sperm just in case,” said Ms Brown, who lives in Abu Dhabi. “We were planning for the worst-case scenario really.”

The couple contacted Bourn Hall Fertility Clinic Dubai and made arrangements to freeze Mr Lapins’ sperm.

Mr Lapins then underwent an orchiectomy. While the tumour was found to be benign, the couple faced more bad news.

“We found out then Gregg had really low sperm count anyway,” Ms Brown said. “Given that we had already been in touch with Bourn Hall and we had some frozen sperm spare we thought whilst we are on this path let’s just start IVF. We were lucky enough to only need one cycle and we fell pregnant straight away, which was brilliant news.”

After tests confirmed she was pregnant, Ms Brown, who is sharing her story to encourage other couples struggling to conceive to not give up hope, was delighted.

“I just cried. I was very happy,” she said. “We met a lot of people too when we started going through the process.

“It is amazing the people you start to talk to and how many people have been through it themselves. For us to fall pregnant first time we felt extremely lucky compared to other people.”

After their struggles, the pregnancy was smooth sailing, said Ms Brown.

On January 7, she gave birth to Cooper Lapins, weighing 3.71 kilograms, in the Mediclinic City Hospital, Dubai.

Ms Brown said she could not contain her happiness when she saw her son, now eight months old, for the first time.

“It was just surreal. It was just one of those moments that was surreal but lovely.”

Ms Brown said she would recommend IVF to any other couples struggling to become parents.

“We are probably going to have to do it again,” said Ms Brown, who wants a brother or sister for Cooper. “I would have no hesitation in going back.”

It can be costly. Ms Brown paid Dh37,000 for a single cycle of IVF and many couples are not lucky enough to be successful first time.

“But ultimately it is worth it,” she said.