A woman who was told she would never conceive naturally has revealed she’s now 31 weeks pregnant after using a conception cup that ‘held the sperm in place’ for just six days.
Jodie Relf, 33, from London, and her fiancé Anthony, 34, had been trying for a baby for a year when they were told by doctors that they wouldn’t be able to have children without IVF.
Dietitian and Pilates instructor Jodie, who always knew she wanted to have her own little one, was given the devastating news that she was not ovulating and that her fiance had low sperm mobility last November.
But Jodie was determined to conceive naturally and eventually tried a menstrual cup to keep the sperm in place – which resulted in her falling pregnant with a ‘miracle lockdown baby’ after just one fertile window (which usually lasts for six days).
Despite the success that Jodie had when using her conception cup, there is no scientific evidence to date that suggests menstrual cups assist with impregnation.
Jodie Relf (left), 33, from London, and her fiancé Anthony (right), 34, had been trying to conceive for a year, when they were told by doctors she was not ovulating and he had low sperm mobility
The dietitian and Pilates instructor (pictured while 31 weeks pregnant), who always knew she wanted to have a baby, said she felt like a failure as a woman when she was given the news last November
‘I was absolutely devastated when the doctor phoned me; I will never forget those words when they told me in no uncertain terms that I wouldn’t be able to conceive naturally,’ Jodie told FEMAIL.
‘As you can imagine, it was incredibly heartbreaking to hear. I’ve wanted children since I was a young girl, and being told that I might not be able to, felt as if my world came crashing down.
‘I felt like a failure as a fiancée and a woman as it’s the most natural thing for my body to do and here I was not able to do it.
‘Anthony was heartbroken too but slightly more optimistic and hopeful than me in knowing that there is so much that can be done to help with fertility these days.’
The couple were due to go back to a fertility clinic in April – but their appointment was cancelled due to Covid-19.
Jodie said: ‘I remember sitting on my bed in floods of tears, it felt like yet another obstacle to try and overcome. We’d made such good progress with the fertility clinic pre-covid and it really felt like we were getting towards some answers and solutions.
‘The clinic couldn’t tell us when services were up and running so we had no time frame to help us get through it.’
Jodie, who was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in her twenties, was taking conception multivitamins and made lifestyle changes to increase her chances of pregnancy.
Her friend had also been trying to conceive for a year – with no success – and had shared an article with Jodie about using a menstrual cup after sex to keep the sperm in place.
Jodie did some research but was ‘put off’ by the technique as she felt that ultimately it was not what the cup is made for.
However, in April Jodie found out she had won a competition on Instagram to win a FERTI·LILY Conception Cup – the first brand to launch an at-home fertility aid.
The cup, which is inserted vaginally after intercourse, arrived the day before her ‘fertile window’ so Jodie used the cup for one cycle and found out in the middle of May she was pregnant.
Jodie, who was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome in her twenties, was taking conception multivitamins and made lifestyle changes to increase her chances of pregnancy. She is now 31-weeks pregnant, her scan is shown above
However, earlier this year, Jodie won a FERTI·LILY Conception Cup on an Instagram competition and she decided to give it a go. She is pictured at eight and 31 weeks pregnant
She said: ‘A week later I’d won the competition, and it really did feel like a sign to try it. The cup arrived the day before my ‘fertile window’, and so we used it for that one cycle.
‘I was hesitant at the beginning but it was surprisingly really easy to use. I watched the videos on how to insert it and it was very straightforward and really comfortable.
‘You wouldn’t even know it was there! I wore it for about 15 minutes after sex carrying on with my day and then removed it. We found out in the middle of May that I was pregnant. It was the first and only cycle that we used the cup for.’
Despite admitting she was ‘sceptical’ about the success of the cup, Jodie and Anthony said it was ‘completely surreal’ when they found out they were finally expecting.
Jodie thought that given her changes in lifestyle and having her cycles regular and under control, she never thought they would struggle with fertility.
Jodie (pictured with her partner) tried using the conception cup and was shocked when she discovered that, one cycle later, she was pregnant
The dietician expected it might take longer for her to fall pregnant but ultimately thought it would happen for the couple.
She added: ‘I come from a scientific background so I like having hard evidence in front of me, with the conception cup being so new there isn’t much.
‘But we were at the point where there was nothing more we could do from our side and were willing to give it a go. I knew it wasn’t going to do any harm so we really had nothing to lose.
‘It felt completely surreal to find out we were pregnant, especially after all the pregnancy tests that had come back negative it just didn’t feel real to see two lines instead of one.
‘I automatically reached for a second test just to make sure it wasn’t faulty. I was beyond excited but also just couldn’t quite believe it!’
The couple, who are now 31 weeks pregnant, are keeping the sex of their baby a surprise.
Although she was shocked by the speed at which she became pregnant after trying out the cup, Jodie said she always believed she would eventually have a child
The mum-to-be believes their upcoming arrival is a ‘miracle’ and the wait they’ve endured will make the first meeting with their baby even more special.
She described her pregnancy journey as ‘lucky’ so far as she did not experience any morning sickness in the first trimester.
Jodie said: ‘I had two weeks of tiredness and feeling a little queasy and then I went off vegetables for about three weeks – which is very strange for a dietician!
‘One of the hardest things has been getting used to what I can and can’t do – I’m usually very active and used to running around; I really had to slow down which is a probably good thing.
‘I’ve been to all my check-ups and scans but unfortunately my partner hasn’t because of Covid but we’ve booked a private scan so he can see the baby and experience that feeling.’
The couple are keeping the gender of their child a secret and because of the journey she and her partner have gone through, the child’s arrival will be even more special
Jodie said she recommends couples that are struggling to fall pregnant try the conception cup as it’s easy to do and causes no harm.
She said she would also happily use the cup again if she decided to try for another baby in the future.
Couples trying for 12 months or longer, using the FERTI·LILY Conception Cup were found to be 180 per cent more likely to conceive over a three-month period than would be clinically expected when using the FERTI.LILY Conception Cup.
The conception cup can be reused up to 18 times or for six cycles and gives couples more control over their fertility at an affordable price.
FERTI·LILY Conception Cup is available to buy at ferti-lily.co.uk for £32.99
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