Battle to conceive ends in joy

AFTER 20 years of longing to hold a baby in her arms, a 52-year-old Zimbabwean woman is celebrating her first Mother’s Day.

It took four uterine fibroid removal procedures, five rounds of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and one miscarriage, but Eleanor Mukura said her miracle baby was all worth it.

“I first became aware of my fertility problems when it was discovered that I had fibroids which were preventing me from falling pregnant. I had them removed twice, and they grew back each time,” she said. “I was on the verge of making a final decision to have my uterus removed when one Sunday morning, I received an unexpected phone call.”

The friend shared information about a fibroids removal procedure that she had undergone in Johannesburg, which could make it possible for Mukura to conceive.

Filled with renewed optimism, Mukura and her husband travelled to the Netcare Pretoria East Hospital’s fertility centre. Tests were conducted, and doctors found that her fibroids had grown back for the third time and that they would need to be removed prior to beginning with IVF.

“The first IVF procedure was unsuccessful, and the doctor who treated me passed away before we could try again. After some time, we were referred to Dr Trouw,” she said. “But at this stage, the fibroids had once more grown back, so I had to undergo my fourth fibroid removal.”

The IVF treatment was a success but filled with many emotional and physical difficulties. Mukura miscarried at the end of her first trimester.

“We had come so far, and we decided to keep on trying, but the following two attempts also resulted in failure,” she said. “It was only some years later, on our fifth and final IVF attempt, that I finally fell pregnant with our baby girl.”

The couple said they chose their daughter’s biblical name Esther because it represents who she is, a star and a woman of courage.

“Her Shona name is Nyashadzashe, which means grace from God.”