After leaving school I went to work with elderly and psychiatric patients in my local area, during this time I also worked as an Auxiliary Nurse in doctors surgeries and the local hospital and completed my Phlebotomy training. After five years I began working with children in a children’s home and also undertook agency work with families. I decided to return to college to gain my Advanced Diploma in Childcare and Education and intended to return to work within the childcare field. However, after completing my full-time course I was offered a post as a lecturer at the college teaching Childcare, Education and Care courses. Whilst teaching I continued my studies and gained a City and Guilds qualification in teaching and also my Certificate in Education. I continued to teach full-time and developed the NVQ in Care for the college in which I worked, I was also the Team Leader for BTEC in Childcare and taught on, among others, Childcare, Counselling, Psychology and Sociology based courses.

After four years I left teaching and took up a position within the local Youth Service, here I was responsible for development and running of a young persons mentoring project (REACH). This was aimed at young people who had either been excluded, or, who were at risk of exclusion from school. I was also responsible for the development and progression of a young carers workshop (CHIL) that worked with local young people who were responsible for looking after family members on a full time basis. This post continued for a further two years at which time I decided to go into business with my brother. We opened our own children’s shop catering for all baby needs, but, based upon an environmentally friendly theme of recycling and re-using. We opened our own agency selling ‘previously enjoyed baby goods’ for the public and promoted fair trade and recycled goods. The business was highly successful and continued for a further two years, however, during this time I undertook my first course of ICSI which resulted in my twin girls, this made running a shop near impossible and we were forced to close - I am still asked to this day when we will open again.

I returned to work for the Youth Service on a consultancy basis for six months during 2006, but then returned to Sweden for my second course of ICSI resulting in my third daughter and lead me on to start IVFSS.

Dr Urban Waldenström - Falun Hospital

Dr Waldenstrom  has worked and been an expert in the field of IVF for 15 years, working at the IVF-unit in Falun since the start. Since entering the world of IVF he has also worked in Gothenburg and Australia.

Now, often hired as a public speaker and at medical congresses to doctors, he is also a medical adviser for the board of IRIS (National Infertility Organisation of Sweden). Dr Waldenstrom has written many published papers on the topic of Infertility and its treatment and have developed many new technics, which he now teaches to other consultants around the world. Dr Waldenstrom is currently working on research around hormone stimulation before IVF and long term cultivation and fertilitsation of eggs.

For more information please see the Falun Hospital website, you can find this download on the Sweden Programme page.

Professor Staffan Nilsson - Falun Hospital

Professor Nilsson has been expert in the subject infertility for 20 years and has worked at the IVF-unit in Falun since its start. He is renowned for his work surrounding the contraceptive pill and breast-feeding and is formerly director of “Women´s medical service” in Falun with a solid experience in all gynaecology and obstetric work.

Dr Nilsson is a Professor of Obstetrics & Gynaecology at Uppsala University, Sweden, but is situated in Falun and carries out all of his clinical work from there. Dr Waldenstrom and Professor Nilsson started the IVF Clinic in Falun together in 1989.

Dr Karsten Peterson  - Ciconia Clinic

Dr Peterson has now been carrying out fertility treatments for 23 years and was one of the first doctors to do IVF in Denmark. Since setting up the Ciconia Clinic in 1985 Dr Peterson has helped couples to have around 6000 children. Dr Peterson is Vice President in both the Nordic Fertility Society and in the Danish Fertility Society.

For more information about Dr Peterson and the Ciconia Clinic please see their website

Professor Rafael Bernabeu  - Instituto Bernabeu

Dr Bernabeu has been practicing gynaecology since 1985 when he graduated from the University of Valencia. He specialises in reproductive medicine, and has continued his training throughout the years at various leading international universities. He is the Medical Director at Instituto Bernabeu in Alicante, Spain, which was the first clinic to have an IVF birth in the Valencian Community in 1997, as well as the first baby born free of Marfan’s using PGD.

He is a professor at the University of Murcia and the University of Alicante, as well as the Chair of Reproductive Medicine at the University Miguel Hernández in Elche, Spain.

For more information about Dr Bernabeu and the Instituto Bernabeu please see their website www.institutobernabeu.com/en/

Dr Joaquín Llácer - Instituto Bernabeu

Specialised in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Dr Llácer is the Deputy Director at Instituto Bernabeu, the Director of Instituto Bernabeu in Elche and a member of the Board of Directors at the clinic. He is a member of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) and the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology ( ESHRE).

For more information about Dr Llácer and the Instituto Bernabeu please see their website

Dr José Manuel Gómez - Instituto Bernabeu

Bachelor of Medicine from the Universidad Miguel Hernández. He trained as a specialist in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the Hospital Marina Baixa in Villajoyosa and since 2005 has been working in the field of Assisted Reproduction at Instituto Bernabeu. He is a member of the Ultrasound Scan Section of SEGO and has Level 3 accreditation. He has specialised in endoscopic surgery and is a member of this department within Instituto Bernabeu.

For more information about Dr Gómez and the Instituto Bernabeu please see their website