I just wanted to take a moment to write a brief testimonial on Siobhán and the wonderful help we received during what anyone who has been on a fertility journey will know is an arduous journey-to say the least!
I may begin with a brief background which may inspire others to reach out to Siobhán. From puberty onwards I struggled with weight, long cycles, excess hair growth and thinning hair. Not to mention low mood and fatigue. I was never given a diagnosis; I was just told “query PCOS” based on my blood work and the symptoms that I presented with. I was told to “lose weight” as a way to manage my symptoms. Which I did, through grit and determination. I accepted my PCOS as the years went on albeit aware that it may present fertility struggles down the line. At 25 however, I found a lump on my throat and upon further investigation and biopsies it was decided that this needed to be removed. I had the surgery and afterward my blood results showed that I had hypothyroidism- another string to add to the bow.
Fast forward a few years and with our wedding approaching I decided to come off hormonal birth control and begin trying for our family. The “trying” went on for eight months with no success. I visited my GP who quickly referred me to a fertility clinic. All the routine testing was carried out, AMH, scans, bloods etc. It was discovered that my AMH was 164. I was quite impressed but knew it confirmed my PCOS diagnosis and was definitely not a good thing. Thankfully, my husband was fine. We quickly followed the advice of the medical team and I did everything “right”, exercise, weight loss, every vitamin, no caffeine n- you name it! We did six rounds of Letrozole with no joy. Not one positive line. I became obsessed. I couldn’t socialise, I lived in dread of the next pregnancy announcement I was going to hear. I cried over every single one. I thought I was broken. I wondered why my husband was with me at all. I am an all or nothing person, I throw myself into everything and have to do everything right. Therefore, I put a lot of pressure on myself. The “golden girl” as Siobhán described me. So, naturally, the next step was IVF. Off we went, full steam ahead. So hopeful. Three embryos later, a missed miscarriage and chemical pregnancy, I was losing all hope.
One day I spoke with my sister-in-law who has a friend based on the East Coast. She suggested Siobhán and said that her friend had found her so helpful. I’m a sceptic, I’m not going to lie. I’m very much black and white. I told my husband about it and we watched some testimonials on YouTube and one couple just struck a chord with us. They felt like they WERE us. My husband is laid back and reserved, I’m anything but! My husband turned to me and said “this is it - this will work”. I raised an eyebrow. Ever the critic. I didn’t expect it from him. He’s a farmer and a no nonsense type of person. But I was desperate for help. We booked our first consultation immediately.
From our first conversation with Siobhán, I have to admit I was blown away by the accuracy at which she could define our personalities. She has us down to a tee. I was impressed but not entirely convinced. I told Siobhán a little of my background, and when I mentioned my thyroid operation, she got a chill. I didn’t understand this at first but as time has gone on, I can relate it to a chill of emotion that I get from time to time when someone shares happy or sad news for example. She told me I needed to do something with my voice. Now, I do love to talk but I also loved to perform in my youth. Musical theatre mainly. This was the push I needed to distract myself from the fertility bubble that had consumed me for two years. When I hung up the call, audition material was just published on Instagram for my local musical theatre group, the date for applying to audition had passed but I was brazen and sent a DM, asking if I could audition. I was petrified, imposter syndrome took over. But I did it. A few days later I got a call to say I was being offered the lead role. Within two weeks I was staring at a positive pregnancy test. The first time we had ever naturally conceived. Unfortunately, that ended in a chemical pregnancy and Siobhán rang me straight away and we scheduled another call to tap into my inner child. I was taken back to thirteen year old me. A girl who had no inhibitions and stood on the stage with no fear. The phrase “no inhibitions” gave Siobhán another chill and I trusted her and forced myself to try to be that young girl again. We also discussed encouraging others and fortunately I work with young people and after our conversation I decided to do just that. Within another cycle I was pregnant again naturally. I’m happy to say that we are 32 weeks pregnant now with our little baby that will no doubt come out singing and dancing.
As a former sceptic, I would say you owe it to yourself and your future baby to trust Siobhán. Allow yourself to be your authentic self and more than just your fertility journey. Thankfully my husband was so open to nature being our guide, without him my scepticism may have won out - I’m very glad it didn’t though.
Lorna and Noel Ryan - Tipperary