For Laura and Ian, the road to parenthood had been paved with heartbreak. Five years of trying, four miscarriages, and an ectopic pregnancy had left them exhausted and searching for answers that UK clinics had never been able to provide. But as summer gave way to September, they found themselves at IVF Spain in Alicante—finally, in the right place.
And they weren’t alone. Alongside their story, two other IVF Spain families had just experienced the moments they had fought so hard for: Victoria and Ross welcoming baby Rex, and Alka and Rhodri introducing little David to the world.
Five years, four miscarriages, and a heartbreak that wouldn’t end
Laura and Ian’s fertility journey had been defined by loss. Over five years of trying to build the family they had always dreamed of, Laura suffered four miscarriages and one ectopic pregnancy—a relentless series of devastations that left them emotionally drained and financially stretched.
What made their situation even more painful was the lack of answers. Thousands of pounds spent on treatment in the UK, yet the underlying cause of their repeated losses remained unidentified. Laura had been diagnosed with immune problems, but the investigations never went deep enough to understand exactly what was happening or how to address it.
“We’ve paid thousands and thousands of pounds in the UK and never had this level of information or a biopsy—tests were restricted to a blood test,” Laura recalled. For a couple who had given so much and received so little in return, the frustration was immense.
An immune system working against them
When IVF Spain examined Laura and Ian’s case, they identified what previous clinics had missed: Laura’s immune system was rejecting transferred embryos, and the specific pattern of her NK cell activity had never been properly investigated.
“The results showed raised NK cells in some areas and low in others,” Laura explained. An endometrial biopsy and the KIR-HLA-C test—a specialized genetic and immunological analysis—finally revealed the precise nature of Laura’s immune challenges and allowed the clinic to match a compatible donor to her specific profile.
David was also tested for his HLA-C to determine whether the maternal-foetal interaction would be optimal. A special granulocyte protocol—known as GCSF in the UK—was introduced to help support Laura’s body in maintaining a pregnancy. These were investigations and interventions that had simply never been offered to them before.
Stepping into IVF Spain clinic for the first time
From the moment Laura and Ian arrived at IVF Spain clinic, the difference was palpable. After years of stressful, impersonal treatment experiences in the UK, the clinic’s approach felt like stepping into an entirely different world.
“Absolutely everybody that we came into contact with has been reassuring, very confident. Nothing is too much trouble. We had a really smooth transfer; we had a beautiful room where we were able to relax in. The doctor was amazingly positive and all of the staff, the embryologists, the nurses… everybody is being consistently really nice and calm and reassuring. A very, very different experience to the ones that we’ve had in the UK,” they shared.
The consistent, open communication from the clinic was equally transformative. “Every piece of communication we were given was reassuring and, unlike our treatments before, this consistent flow of communication took the pressure off us having to find out things for ourselves,” Laura and Ian noted.
IVF with egg donors: finding the perfect match
Given Laura’s immune system challenges, egg donation offered the best possible chance of a successful pregnancy. IVF Spain’s donor department, led by Dr. Sergio Rogel, took on the complex task of finding a donor not just physically matched to Laura but immunologically compatible through the KIR-HLA-C genotyping test.
All donor candidates undergo thorough physical, psychological, and gynaecological examinations as required by Spanish law. But IVF Spain goes further, testing all donors on a genetic and immunological level—discarding more than 200 diseases and guaranteeing the health of all future babies.
“Choosing a donor is one of the most important aspects of an IVF egg donation treatment,” Dr. Rogel explained. “When a candidate passes all the mentioned tests she will automatically enter our donor pool and enter a database until being matched to a patient with the optimal phenotypic resemblance.”
For Laura and Ian, handing over the donor selection process to IVF Spain’s expert team was an unexpected source of relief. “We were able to give some indications regarding what was most important and sent some photographs across and then we didn’t have to do anything else. Having it taken out of our hands made the whole experience easier,” they said.
Support that made all the difference
Throughout their fertility treatment, Laura and Ian experienced a level of patient care that stood in stark contrast to everything they had known before. IVF Spain’s commitment to personalized, patient-centered care—delivered in the couple’s own language—meant that nothing was left to chance and no question went unanswered.
The clinic’s calm, private atmosphere and the consistent warmth of every team member they encountered helped Laura and Ian approach their transfer with a sense of peace rather than dread. After years of feeling like just another case number, they finally felt truly cared for.
A successful embryo transfer and a reason to hope
The news from the IVF Spain laboratory was everything Laura and Ian had been waiting for: the embryo transfer was a success. With ten days remaining before they would know whether the embryo had implanted, they held onto the hope that this time—with the right tests, the right donor match, and the right support—things would be different.
Their journey ran alongside two other IVF Spain success stories that brought the power of this kind of specialized care into sharp focus. Victoria and Ross had just welcomed baby Rex, their donor-conceived son, and Victoria’s message to their anonymous egg donor captured the depth of gratitude that egg donation inspires:
“I would like to say to whoever you are and wherever you are in the world: thank you! It made Ross a dad. It made my daughter a sister. And as for me as a woman… what you’ve done is given me the happy family I always wanted to have.”
And Alka and Rhodri—2017 runner-ups—had just welcomed little David, born August 24th, weighing 7 lbs and 3oz. Their message said it all: “Little David is such a joy. We love being a family of four, and feel so thrilled and blessed that he has entered our lives. Our heartfelt thanks to the team at IVF Spain for making our dream a reality.”
The reward of never giving up
Laura and Ian’s story, set against the backdrop of two families finally holding their babies, offers a powerful reflection on what perseverance, the right medical team, and specialized care can achieve.
Five years of loss and unanswered questions had brought them to a clinic that finally looked closely enough to find the answers. The immunological investigations, the carefully matched donor, and the warm, consistent support of the IVF Spain team had given them something they had almost stopped believing in: genuine, well-founded hope.
For couples who have experienced repeated loss and unexplained failure, their journey is a reminder that answers do exist—and that finding the right clinic to uncover them can change everything.
Words from those who found their way through
The stories of Victoria, Ross, Alka, and Rhodri offer the most powerful advice of all to couples still on their journey: hold on.
Victoria’s words to her egg donor—and by extension to anyone considering this path—speak to the transformative power of egg donation and the families it creates. Alka and Rhodri’s joy at little David’s first smile is a testament to what lies on the other side of years of struggle.
And Laura and Ian, waiting those ten precious days, carried with them the hope that their own happy ending was finally within reach.
Not the same road, but a similar heart →
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Updated 23.02.2026
