Updated November 25th, 2025
When Fertility Road last caught up with Tonagh and Paul, the couple had just been dealt a devastating blow when their embryo transfer failed.
But the end of their Fertility Journey didn’t mean the end of their journey to parenthood, and we are thrilled to share that Tonagh and Paul are expecting a baby boy in January.
Since our last update, Tonagh and Paul sadly suffered a miscarriage in the summer of 2024. Tonagh gave her body plenty of time to recover before returning to the Pelargos IVF in Greece for a double frozen embryo transfer on April 30th.
This time, Tonagh underwent three intralipid infusions and was given blood thinners to help the transfer along.
The couple stayed in Greece for the duration of the nerve-wracking two-week wait before soaring HCG levels confirmed Tonagh was pregnant.
The first trimester was hard going for Tonagh, who experienced hyperemesis gravidarum, an extreme and persistent form of pregnancy sickness.
“When I hit the 13-week mark, it started to lay off. But it was hard going,” said Tonagh, who was 30 weeks pregnant when we spoke to her in early November.
“But in a strange way, the sickness was a really good thing for me, because it provided reassurance for me every day,” she added.
“My doctor offered to give me anti-sickness medicine, but I couldn’t take it. Last year, when I had no symptoms, I knew all along there was something wrong.
“So I thought I would rather be sick for another few weeks and know that everything’s okay. It kept me sane.”
Once the sickness had abated, Tonagh struggled with her mental health.
“It has been a rollercoaster to get here and my anxiety and my nerves haven’t been the best,” she said.
“I was away in the head – I couldn’t function and I was just in constant fear, like I was going to lose it again. Every scan was really scary and nerve-wracking.”
As the weeks rolled on, the scans provided Tonagh and Paul with reassurance, “I’ve just had to keep pinching myself as time went on – this is actually happening,” added Tonagh.
“When I tell people how it started with Fertility Road magazine, they look at me like I have two heads sometimes, like ‘you went to a country for IVF that you won in a magazine, are you mad?’” she recalled.
“I did my research and started reading about this doctor, dr Harry Karpouzis, and thought it was all too good to be true, but we’ve been blown away by it all. We just couldn’t believe how lucky we got.”
The couple had previously undergone IVF treatment in their native Northern Ireland, but Tonagh says they were left “traumatised”. Following their “awful” experience, Tonagh and Paul considered going abroad for IVF.
“We thought we would go abroad, but we had no idea where to start, where to begin looking, what country to go to.
“Greece would have been right down at the bottom of my list, probably because I hate flying as well. That, to me, was just a wee bit too, too far. But Paul and my mum were like, Tonagh, you have to take this, this could be our chance. And here we are three years later.”
When we started following the couple on their fertility journey, Tonagh wanted to be known by her middle name, Bernadette. Now she is happy to be referred to by her first name after shedding the misplaced feelings of shame that can often come hand-in-hand with IVF.
“I carried a lot of shame, a lot of embarrassment. The thought of somebody coming across my name online at the time felt horrendous,” explained Tonagh.
“But now that I’m older and wiser, there are so many people that my story could actually help.
“I wish I’d had a ‘me’ to talk to, somebody to turn to.”
Speaking about her pregnancy, Tonagh said: “I’ve been very lucky, it’s actually been a pretty textbook pregnancy and I’m so thankful for that, because the mental impact of IVF isn’t easy.
“But the pregnancy itself has been grand.”
Congratulations to Tonagh and Paul from everyone here at Fertility Road.
Updated August 6th, 2023
“All we can do is hope” – Tonagh and Paul look to the future
Tonagh and Paul were dealt a blow when their embryo transfer failed – but the couple are looking to the future with a sense of hope. They previously flew out to Pelargos IVF Clinic in Greece where two embryos were transferred on July 17th. Sadly, a blood test revealed the transfer had been unsuccessful on this occasion. Tonagh said: “The day after the transfer I did have cramps. “I just knew after a couple of days. You just know your own body.”
She added: “When I got the negative my head went into overdrive about what had gone wrong. “I spoke to the doctor and he was a bit shocked and he said he did not know what had happened.”
Tonagh and Paul are planning to return to Greece in March for an investigative hysteroscopy. “The doctor will have a look to make sure the environment is OK,” said Tonagh. “He’s also going to do an endometrial scratch. A month or two later we are going to have our second transfer.”
The latest transfer took place at the height of a heatwave, where the temperature topped 45°C. Tonagh hopes that a transfer in the cooler spring weather will prove a more comfortable experience.
Despite the disappointing news, the couple are optimistic about the future.
“I think you have to remain optimistic – it is IVF after all,” said Tonagh. “We spoke to the doctor and there is a plan in place.
“All we can do is hope.”
Updated, July 20th, 2023
After months of preparation, this week the big day finally arrived for Tonagh and Paul.
For the past few weeks, Tonagh has been taking medication to prepare her body for the embryo transfer and has focused on eating well and keeping herself active at the gym.
Tonagh and Paul flew out to Pelargos IVF Clinic in Greece where two embryos were selected for transfer on Monday (July 17th).
Tonagh said: “We got to the hospital and waited a while for me to drink water as I needed a full bladder. We then met with the embryologist who said two of the embryos survived the thaw really well, so it was good to go. Then Dr Karpouzis got straight to the transfer and showed me the two embryos on the screen, which were already beginning to hatch. The transfer was pretty quick, not painful but just uncomfortable. In his words, the transfer went perfectly.”
Now the couple face a 12-day wait before Tonagh can take a blood test to find out whether the transfer was successful.
Tonagh says she is experiencing mixed feelings, adding: “I am surprisingly calmer than I thought I’d be. But I suppose there’s anxiousness, a bit of fear, excitement and just a complete mixture of everything, when I actually stop and process what has happened. I have to have a blood test in 12 days to confirm the outcome, so that’s a bit scary to think of, but there’s nothing more I can do at this point. It’s just a waiting game now and we just really hope for the best.”
The couple were full of praise for the team at Pelargos IVF Clinic, with Tonagh adding: “The clinic itself is just so, so busy, it never stops. But that speaks for itself. We really cannot fault anything. Dr Karpousiz and Vasiliki are absolutely amazing and there really is no way to thank them for even taking us this far. They’re so understanding, approachable and helpful. Dr Karpouzis has literally been a dream and it’s an absolute pleasure and honour to have him as our doctor.”
Updated, April 5th, 2023
Since Fertility Road last caught up with Tonagh and Paul at the start of the year, the couple have travelled to Pelargos IVF Clinic in Greece to begin their treatment.
A successful egg retrieval resulted in 19 eggs, 14 of which were fertilised using ICSI. Eight made it to the blastocyst stage, with five of these at the top grade.
The decision was made to postpone the embryo transfer, as Tonagh explains: “The day or two before egg collection the doctor advised that he thinks we’d be better off with a frozen transfer as I was a bit at risk of overstimulation. This will give my body time to calm down so we can try and do this on a more natural cycle.”
The couple don’t yet have a date for their next appointment at Pelargos IVF Clinic, but the frozen embryo transfer is expected to go ahead sometime in May or June.
Although Tonagh is looking forward to the couple’s return visit to Greece, she admits the nerves are starting to creep in.
She said: “I’m excited and looking forward to going back to Athens, but now I’m getting anxious because I can’t help but think negatively – like this shouldn’t be me, why would it be me?
“But a couple of months ago, I didn’t even think I could get this far. I’m trying to stay positive but realistic, and trying to stay off Google!”
The couple previously had an unsuccessful round of IVF in their native Belfast, which Tonagh describes as an overwhelmingly negative experience.
But this is a world away from their journey with Pelargos IVF Clinic.
Tonagh said: “It has been a really positive experience from the very first appointment. All our questions were answered.
“In these situations sometimes you leave and think of things you should have asked.
“If we messaged the nurse or doctor himself they got back straight away, so we were never left alone on the journey at all.
“The facility itself was absolutely out of this world as well.”
Updated, 12th of January, 2023
Tonagh and Paul are preparing to travel some 2,000-plus miles as they embark on their fertility journey with the Pelargos IVF Clinic in Greece.
The couple, from Northern Ireland, are the latest to participate in the Fertility Journeys Project.
Tonagh, from Belfast, and Paul, from Cork, have been together for more than ten years after falling for each other on a night out.
Tonagh remembers: “We both knew of each other before, but didn’t ever talk or anything. We were on a night out, got chatting and it escalated from there!”
The couple had been trying for a baby for some time when they decided to undergo IVF in their home country. Unfortunately, this first treatment did not go to plan.
Tonagh said: “We had one IVF on NHS – free go – which went horribly wrong and unfortunately did not work out.
“It was a shambles from start to finish and initially I thought ‘never again’. But I looked into it and realised that when you go private for fertility help it is a different experience altogether.
“This was a couple of years ago now, so I think we are both ready to try again.”
When they discovered they had been selected for treatment at Pelargos IVF Clinic, Tonagh and Paul felt “so lucky” to have the chance to try again.
The couple said: “We are both still in shock that we have won this and really do feel so lucky to have this chance.
“We have talked about going abroad but just couldn’t decide when the time was right, but here we are.
“We plan to be in Greece for around two weeks, so I guess at this point it’s fingers crossed and we hope for the best.”
