It’s amazing that we’ve been given this chance
Pictured is Shona Davison with her husband Steve and 2 years old Dexter at home in Carter Knowle Ave,Sheffield.
THE joy of discovering that you are expecting a longed-for baby is both precious and private – especially after six cycles of IVF treatment. But Shona Davison is about to share that moment with millions of television viewers.
The Ecclesall mum, who suffers from a form of muscular dystrophy, has spent the last five years grappling with the dilemma of how to fulfil her dream of having a family, but without passing on the gene that could blight her child’s life.
It is an agonising story of soul-searching, endless medical appointments and the frustration and heartbreak of failed attempts at IVF.
But it’s a story of joy too – first when son Dexter was born two years ago and again when Shona and husband Steve discovered that she is expecting a child who will complete their family later this year.
The couple have agreed to share the emotional moment with TV viewers as part of their campaign to raise awareness of Shona’s condition and the problems that go with it.
“We want to raise awareness, so we didn’t mind having the cameras there, but the hardest part was having to sit and answer their questions when I just wanted to go off and do the test!” says Shona, aged 33, a banking analyst.
Her life was perfectly normal until 2006 when her dad, a fireman, was diagnosed with myatonic dystrophy. At that stage the family realised this was the likely cause of her grandfather’s illness too and when Shona was tested it emerged that she also had inherited the faulty gene.
Her grandfather had not developed symptoms until his 70s, her father in his 50s, but Shona was only in her 20s – which meant that if she passed it on to her child, it was likely to be born with severe and life-threatening symptoms.
Shona and Steve immediately agreed that natural conception was out of the question. They were due to marry a few months later and immediately began to explore options that would allow them to have a healthy family.
“I wouldn’t have minded adopting, but Steve wanted us to have a baby. Terminations would have been too emotionally traumatic, so that left IVF,” she recalls.
PGD – pre-implantation genetic diagnosis – is a form of screening which allows healthy embryos to be selected before implantation in the mother’s womb.
“I think it’s absolutely amazing that we’ve been given this chance,” says Shona. “Without this process Steve and I might have had to choose to have no children.
“We’re really lucky to live in a time that medical science gives us this choice. It can be controversial and lots of people have an opinion, but the ones who have to make the decision are the prospective parents.”
PGD involves hormone injections to stimulate egg production, then collection of the ova – a process that is shown in the BBC documentary. After fertilisation and screening, a healthy embryo is implanted in the uterus, but the chances of a resulting pregnancy are still only around one in three.
“I was gutted the first time it didn’t work and after the second cycle failed we made up our minds to go to Spain and use an egg donor.”
But the NHS agreed to fund a third cycle – and the result was Dexter.
“I was so happy and excited at first… then I felt scared that it might not last. I tried not to get my hopes up, but it was worth it all when he arrived,” says Shona.
Dexter was born weighing a healthy 9lb 14oz and within four months Shona and Steve were back at the fertility clinic. This time they staked their life savings on having a brother or sister for Dexter.
Shona was working part-time as a consultant, but the family lived on Steve’s salary as an area manager for Aldi, spending all her income on expensive treatment and trips to the London clinic.
Once again the couple had to endure two failed cycles of IVF, each costing £10,000, and were on the point of giving up when they agreed to have one last try.
Around this time Shona heard about a distant relative in Australia who had just been diagnosed with myatonic dystrophy and decided she wanted to share her experiences.
“I was never told about PGD when I was diagnosed – I think that’s outrageous. I had to find out about it myself, on the internet, so I thought I’d do something to help other people in the same situation.”
Her solution was to write a blog (http://apgdblog.blogspot.com), giving a personal perspective both on her illness and on the traumas of trying to get pregnant.
Announcing her pregnancy, a month ago, Shona writes: “It is such a big relief. I couldn’t face the thought of any more fertility treatment, nor was I really ready to give up on getting a sibling for Dexter.
“There will be no more moaning about nose bleeds, tiredness or painful boobs! No more complaining about all the hospital appointments. It has all been worth it.”
She plans to continue the blog up to the time the baby is born, in November.
“I’ve had some great feedback, from people all over the world. I enjoy writing it and if it helps somebody else then that’s the point.”
lSo What If My Baby Is Born Like Me, BBC3, Tuesday 9pm.
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