"We cannot praise your service highly enough"

My husband and I were first referred to the infertility unit at Monklands five years ago when trying to conceive our first child. We were then re referred two years ago due to ongoing difficulties in trying to expand our family.

Both times we have accessed this service our treatment & care has been exceptional. Dr Kumar and the dedicated team of nursing staff (Maureen, Cathy, Linda & Karen) could not have been more supportive. Our pathway second time around ultimately ended in undergoing IUI. The process was very clearly explained by the nursing staff, who answered all our questions comprehensively. The process itself did involve, for want of a better expression, some trial & error with drug dosages, scans and blood tests and meant I was required to attend five or six appointments over a fortnight at times and had some abandoned treatment cycles. However, staff had prepared us at the outset for all of this & was definitely beneficial in ensuring we didn't become too despondent. When things didn't work out with a cycle, the nurses were sympathetic & encouraged us to keep going.

As with many areas of medicine, infertility is very emotive. However, we always found staff to be supportive & understanding. Everyone in the infertility unit made our journey as pleasant as the circumstances allow - even down to little touches like the receptionist greeting me by my first name before I even got to the desk! The nature of the investigations & treatment can obviously feel uncomfortable & embarassing at times, but the nurses always put us at ease & shared our ups and downs.

Fortunately for us our second completed cycle was successful & I gave birth to our second daughter three weeks ago. We owe a huge debt of gratitude to Dr Kumar & Maureen & her team - we wouldn't have our family without you. We cannot praise your service highly enough - not just because of our happy outcome, but because of the skill & dedication which you exhibit in carrying out your roles. You're a credit to NHS Lanarkshire.