We hope that we have provided you with lots of information to help you understand your fertility options and to make decisions about which fertility journey may suit you best. We also know that hearing from and reading about other people who have undergone fertility treatment can be really useful.
Some of our patients have very kindly agreed for us to share their stories with you. If you are, or have been one of our patients and would like to share your story, please contact us.
Patient stories
Patient Reviews
We are proud of the role we play in supporting our patients on their fertility journeys: we feel we are lucky to be part of their lives. These are some of the many comments from cards and emails we’ve received from previous patients – every patient becomes part of our ‘family’.
Each quote is direct from a patient. Please note all identifying details have been removed, as we value our patients privacy.
“To every member of staff at the Leeds Centre for Reproductive Medicine: We have been patients of yours since April, and in Sept we officially started our first round of IVF with ICSI. It has been a long road and difficult few months, but it was made easier by the friendly and professional staff at the centre. Every single person we met was always smiling, they helped make us feel comfortable and relaxed, and they kept informing us every step of the way. You should all be very proud of the jobs you do and how amazing you are. You really do make a difference. So in October we had our pregnancy test and it was POSITIVE! Then on the 13th November we had a scan, as i was 7 weeks pregnant, and there was a baby with a heartbeat. We are delighted and our dreams are coming true, all thanks to you. We still have a long way to go, but wanted to say a massive “Thank You” to you all” (C&J)
“To all of the admin staff in the IVF Unit – now that I am 14 weeks pregnant, we’d just like to say THANK YOU for all your help. We are so happy to be expecting!” (D&C C)
“To all the staff in the Assisted Fertility Clinic at Seacroft – we would just like to thank you for all your help and support which has brought us our two greatest treasures” (S&A)
“To all the staff – Thank you for all the great work you do, our little boy came into the world. We are so in love and could not imagine life without him now. Again thank you.” (L&M C)
“Professor Balen and all the staff at Seacroft – We would like to massively thank you for enabling us to have our second child. We are just over the moon and have now a family that would have been impossible without the care and support you have provided. Thank you for making the dreams of another couple like us come true.” (P & J D – second baby due February)
“To all the staff involved in our treatment and care at Seacroft – We would like to say a huge THANK YOU! We underwent IVF after a successful sperm retrieval and after our second embryo transfer we were so lucky to be blessed with our son. Sorry it has taken us so long to send this card, it seems parenthood is a lot more hectic than what we anticipated in such an amazing way! Our son is now growing up to be a cheeky, head strong loving little boy who loves his snuggles and hogging mummy and daddy’s bed – we would not have it any other way. He fills our lives with so much love, joy and happiness. Without people like you guys, our miracle would not be here and our lives a much duller place. We are eternally grateful to you all, you are all amazing! We will hopefully see you all in the not so distant future. We would also like to say thank you to Ellissa (Dr Baskind), who performed our embryo transfer, she was so lovely and made such a calm, happy atmosphere, I truly believe this helped. Also a special thank you to Dr Mariano, we had a scare at 6 weeks which our local hospital could do nothing about due to it being a Good Friday. He waited behind once the clinic had closed so we could get through for him to scan me. If he hadn’t done this we would have had to wait until Tuesday for our EPU to open. You all go above and beyond. Thank you so much! (S&B C)
“To all of the amazing staff – My first IVF experience was great, work the very first time. We was made very comfortable with all the nurses and our consultant Mrs Hayden was brilliant. We now have a beautiful baby girl!!” (R&C)
“Dear Professor Balen – I wanted to write to you in regard to the overwhelmingly positive experience I have received whilst under the care of Seacroft Fertility Hospital over the last 16 months. As you know I was referred to Seacroft following two years of trying to conceive and two miscarriages. I am sure any couple going through fertility treatment will tell you how daunting the journey can be, however I feel that everyone from the reception staff to the nurses and doctors go above and beyond to ensure your experience is as positive as it can be under the circumstances. This week is my last week under your care and I can feel my eyes filling up as I write this! Following my successful round of IVF in February, I have been scanned weekly which has brought me such peace of mind, which I am incredibly grateful for. Whilst I am of course delighted to have reached the 12 week milestone, I can’t help but feel sad that i won’t have the pleasure of my weekly appointments with your amazing team. I always think that people are easy to complain and not so quick to give praise. My treatment at Seacroft is the first time I have spent any considerable time under the care of the NHS, and even thinking long and hard, there isn’t one negative I can feedback. Every member of staff I have come into contact with appears to genuinely love the work that they do and this passion without doubt filters through to the patients. I trust your team implicitly and having two other friends who have had treatment under your care, they too always felt they were in the best hands”.
“To Dr Baskind – We just wanted to say thank you for everything that you have done for us over the past few years. There have been some challenging times but knowing that we had someone to discuss things with at every stage made all the difference. Thank you for always going above and beyond and listening to our constant questions/fears even when they were small and silly. We still can’t believe it that we have made it to 11 weeks, and we are really hoping that we have some positive news to tell you in September :-)” (C&P)
“To Dr Hayden – We just wanted to send you this thank you card to say you made our dreams come true. Our baby girl was born just over two weeks ago, we have never been happier. Thank you for never giving up on us, I wanted you to know that you always gave me hope. I remember the time we were sat in your office and you told me about your experience. Well it worked for us on the fourth go. Thank you for telling me… it gave me hope. I am now a mummy to a beautiful girl… you truly do an amazing job” (J&M T)
“Dear Mrs Hayden – We are delighted to be able to inform you all of the safe arrival of our second child. We have immediately fallen in love with her and are truly happy that our family is now complete. You have always been our ‘lucky charm’ when it comes to IVF and when you agreed to do our egg transfer we were delighted. Words cannot describe how grateful we are to you and everyone who has contributed to our two miracle babies. Without you we would be just going through life wondering about life with children, but you have made that dream come true. Both our children will know the name Catherine Hayden as the angel that brought them into the world and we will always be indebted to everything you and your brilliant team have done for us” (C B)
“To Professor Balen – We cannot thank you enough for enabling us to have a child. We were treated back in Dec/Jan, for the first time and our daughter was born perfectly healthy (although a month early), in September. The quality of care and expertise we experienced with your team was exceptional. She really has brought us so much joy and happiness. Thank you again for the life changing work you and your team do every day”
“To Professor Balen and everyone at Leeds Centre for Reproductive Medicine – We cannot thank you enough for the care and kindness you showed us at every step of the way. The odds of us having our wonderful son were against us, but with your expertise and support we beat them and are now happier than we ever thought possible. We are grateful to all who made this a reality, from the doctors and nurses, the ladies who took our blood, to the unsung members of the team who kept the unit clean and manned the desks and admin operations. We would also like to give particular thanks to Sister Nicola Sugden who was so supportive and reassuring from our first cycle to our third. Also to, whose name we forget, the lovely sonographer who gave us hope… thank you”
“To all the staff at Seacroft Fertility – Thank you so much for all your help, support and guidance. You have made our dream come true!” (N&M P)
“To all the team at Seacroft – I have been meaning to write this card for pretty much the last nine months, but i guess it’s better late than never! Our little girl arrived in March, nothing could have prepared us for how much our lives have changed since then and just how much love we have for our little girl. Our fertility journey now feels like a lifetime ago but i’ll never forget how hard this time was and how as a team you made it that bit easier and we cannot thank you enough for everything you did. Dr Hayden, thank you for always making us feel fully involved in our treatment, for your clarity and compassion, particularly after our first miscarriage. Julie Glanville, thank you for your (constant) reassurance, answering my (endless) questions and for making me smile when it got really tough. Dr Mariano, thank you for going the extra mile, keeping us informed and grounded. Your support and kindness meant the world at that very difficult time. I know your roles are very difficult and probably sometimes feel thankless, I hope this card is a reminder that you all do such an amazing job and we will never forget the help and support you’ve given us.” (S&C K)
“Dr Baskind and all the team – There are not enough words to express how amazing you and your team have been throughout this journey. Everyone we have met over the last few years have shown compassion. We’ll be forever grateful for what you have done. I have learnt so much about myself on this journey, I would not change a thing, regardless of the outcome we’ve felt so lucky and grateful even through the tough times. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts, the team are amazing” (C&L)
“Dear Dr Hayden – Thank you for all your hard work, care and support over the last number of years. We really do appreciate all the effort you put in to try to help us achieve what we so desperately wanted. I am personally very grateful for all your time and support you gave me over the last incredibly difficult months. I appreciated the honest and supportive letter you sent so promptly and this helped me to get my head around things a bit more and i read it a number of times. Thank you again for all you have done for us. Please pass on my thanks to Dr Baskind.” (S&C)
“Mr Harish Bhandari – Thank you for giving us the most important thing you can give to anyone – not just the precious gift of life but the gift of hope when we had none left. Sincerely and forever in your debt”. (H&P)
“Dr Ellissa Baskind – We just wanted to thank you … for helping make this dream possible for us. We’re so grateful for your help and support throughout the PGD process and can’t thank you enough”
“To the team: I want to express my gratitude for the support given by Leeds Fertility in getting my son. The staff explained the process all the way, they wiped away my tears at the most difficult time of my life and gave me hope when I had none. I now have a beautiful little boy that wouldn’t be here without their work. Words can not express how appreciative I am!”
“My daughter is one on 24 June and it wouldn’t have been possible without all your help and support from my initial referral to the best day of my life. She’s our IVF miracle and we are waiting to be referred back in to hopefully give her a sibling. Thank you so much”
“Our little miracle (daughter) was born in June. Perfect fathers day present especially after trying for so long, all thanks to our IVF treatment with you guys. So thank you from the bottom of our hearts for our beautiful daughter, we are so grateful and very much in love. Your hospital works miracles so thank you to everyone involved at Leeds fertility. Leeds fertility have given us the best gift even, thank you to all the team.”