A one-in-5,000 medical condition has left a Derbyshire couple £50,000 out of pocket as they continue their fight to become parents. Molly Eagles and Matthew Crowe, both 28, from Holmewood, have spent their savings on IVF and surrogacy after Molly was diagnosed with Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome (MRKH) at the age of 15.
MRKH means Molly was born without a uterus, although she has ovaries and can produce eggs. Because of this, she cannot carry a pregnancy herself, and the couple do not qualify for the one NHS-funded round of IVF that many couples receive.
Heartbreak after diagnosis
"I knew something wasn't right because I hadn't started my period," Molly told Derbyshire Live. "Finding out I had MRKH was soul-destroying. It broke me. I felt like my heart had been ripped out."
"Becoming a mum has always been my biggest dream, and being told I could never carry my own baby felt like my world had fallen apart. Despite everything, I've always held onto one thought: one day, I will hold my baby. That hope has carried me through the hardest days."
A £50,000 journey
The couple, who met as students at Chesterfield College in 2017, got engaged in March and are planning a wedding for their 10-year anniversary. Molly, who works at Costa, said they have poured every spare penny into the long journey.
The £50,000 cost covers IVF medications, egg collections, creating embryos, embryo freezing, surrogate agency fees, surrogate medications, embryo transfers, legal expenses and other fertility treatment and surrogacy costs.
"We have created embryos twice and experienced an unsuccessful embryo transfer. Then, most painfully of all, we lost our baby with our previous surrogate," Molly said. "Those moments have broken our hearts, but they haven't taken away our dream of becoming mum and dad."
Hoping for a womb transplant
The couple are now trying to create more embryos because they need five PGT-A tested embryos to be eligible for the uterus transplant waiting list. Testing the embryos will cost between £10,000 and £12,000, and blood tests and full screenings would add another £2,000 each.
"A womb transplant could give me the chance to experience pregnancy and give birth to a baby of our own, something I never thought would be possible after being born without a uterus and being told I'd never be able to carry a child," Molly said.
"If a uterus transplant isn't possible, creating more embryos would also give us another chance to continue our surrogacy journey, and, we hope, finally welcome our baby into the world."
Appeal for help
Molly hopes to be selected for a uterus transplant in Oxford in the future, which would require her to live nearby for eight weeks after the operation to be monitored. However, the cost of transport and accommodation is more than the couple can afford.
"Surrogates are the most selfless and incredible people. They give families like ours a chance at something we could never achieve on our own - the opportunity to become parents," Molly added.
"We have already experienced both the joy and heartbreak that can come with surrogacy, but despite everything, we still believe in it with all our hearts. Our dream is simply to welcome our little boy or girl into the world, however that journey unfolds. Whether that is through a womb transplant or with the extraordinary kindness of a surrogate, we will never stop fighting to become mum and dad."
Molly and Matthew have set up a fundraiser to support their journey, which she described as "one of the hardest things we've ever had to do."
"Our dream of becoming parents has never changed. It is something we have fought for every single day, despite years of heartbreak, setbacks and overwhelming financial costs," Molly continued. "Asking for help is one of the hardest things we've ever had to do, but we are determined to keep fighting for the chance to have our family."
