Everest base camp challenge
Donation protected
I'm partaking in the Everest base Camp challenge to raise awareness of male infertility and raise money for fertility network UK.
My wife and I began our fertility journey in 2010 when I provided a routine sample so we could begin ovulation induction due to my wife's PCOS. I was shocked to learn that I had a low count, morphology and motility and felt this was a massive blow. We had many tests which revealed our only option was ICSI and after a number of failed cycles and miscarriages we finally achieved our dream of becoming parents in 2016 and again in 2020. When we started fertility treatment in 2012, my wife accessed a number of support groups but I found that support for men just wasn't available and due to this lack of support I found my mental health deteriorating and although friends and family tried to help, it was hard for them to understand what we were going through when they had never suffered from infertility. Our experiences led me to gain a large amount of knowledge into fertility, particularly around how to become as physically healthy as possible to improve fertility. I remember being told on a number of occasions how important it was to be a good weight and eat the right foods, but this was where the advice stopped, no-one told me what foods and supplements enhanced fertility or what exercise could inhibit my fertility further. I decided to put my experience and knowledge to good use by training to be a personal trainer and subsequently started a business as a personal trainer specialising in supporting those embarking on their fertility journey. Fertility network UK is a charity very close to my heart and when I found out about this challenge I jumped at the chance to be able to raise awareness of male infertility which I feel is so important in the hope others don't struggle like I did whilst also raising money for FNUK.
My wife and I began our fertility journey in 2010 when I provided a routine sample so we could begin ovulation induction due to my wife's PCOS. I was shocked to learn that I had a low count, morphology and motility and felt this was a massive blow. We had many tests which revealed our only option was ICSI and after a number of failed cycles and miscarriages we finally achieved our dream of becoming parents in 2016 and again in 2020. When we started fertility treatment in 2012, my wife accessed a number of support groups but I found that support for men just wasn't available and due to this lack of support I found my mental health deteriorating and although friends and family tried to help, it was hard for them to understand what we were going through when they had never suffered from infertility. Our experiences led me to gain a large amount of knowledge into fertility, particularly around how to become as physically healthy as possible to improve fertility. I remember being told on a number of occasions how important it was to be a good weight and eat the right foods, but this was where the advice stopped, no-one told me what foods and supplements enhanced fertility or what exercise could inhibit my fertility further. I decided to put my experience and knowledge to good use by training to be a personal trainer and subsequently started a business as a personal trainer specialising in supporting those embarking on their fertility journey. Fertility network UK is a charity very close to my heart and when I found out about this challenge I jumped at the chance to be able to raise awareness of male infertility which I feel is so important in the hope others don't struggle like I did whilst also raising money for FNUK.
Organizer
Ciaran Hannington
Organizer