Help Steph Hilton Continue Her IVF Journey

At age 32, Steph began experiencing hot flushes. Concerned about her health, she visited her doctor. It was then that she learned she was going through early menopause and could not have children of her own, a devastating blow for a woman who had always dreamed of being a mother. Her sister, out of incredible generosity, donated eggs through two retrievals, resulting in 36 frozen eggs. With the help of a sperm donor, Steph was able to create 9 embryos, but despite her best efforts, 5 transfer attempts ended in heartbreak.

In a moment of hope, Steph became pregnant, only to face another devastating loss when she experienced a missed miscarriage at 6 weeks, discovered during her 7-week scan. She underwent a D&C on New Year’s Eve in 2022, a painful step in a year that would bring even more sorrow. In March 2023, Steph became pregnant again, but her joy was overshadowed by another tragedy when her father passed away in June, deepening her grief.

At the 20-week scan, doctors discovered an abnormality in the baby’s heart, prompting further investigation with a fetal echocardiogram. The scan revealed a congenital heart defect so severe that it would require her baby to spend years in hospitals, undergoing multiple surgeries, and facing a drastically lower quality of life. Further testing, including amniocentesis, revealed a genetic abnormality, and genetic testing confirmed a major deletion on chromosome 7, which would result in severe disabilities. Tragically, the baby was deemed not compatible with life, and Steph had to make the excruciating decision to end the pregnancy. On September 1st, 2023, she gave birth to her daughter, Daisy Claire, who was stillborn. The autopsy revealed that both the heart defect and genetic condition were even worse than initially predicted, compounding the heartache.

Despite these unimaginable losses, Steph has not given up on her dream of becoming a mother. She tried her last two embryos in March and April of 2024, but both attempts ended in failure. Doctors advised against using her sister’s eggs again, as she is now 40 and her previous track record with the eggs has not been successful. In an act of love and support, a dear friend stepped in to donate eggs, resulting in 9 embryos. The first transfer was successful, but unfortunately, it ended in a chemical pregnancy at 5 weeks. The second transfer also failed, leaving Steph with 7 embryos to go.

The road has been long, painful, and filled with loss, but Steph remains determined to continue her journey toward motherhood. IVF is a costly process, and she needs help to fund the next round of treatments. Your donations, no matter how small, will give her the hope and opportunity to take the next step toward becoming a mother.

Thank you for your support, your generosity, and for being part of this incredibly important chapter in Steph’s life. She is deeply grateful for every bit of love and assistance.