A Birmingham couple are to be given a second chance of having their first child by a leading Midlands fertility clinic.

Mr and Mrs W, who live in Highters Heath, were awarded a cycle of IVF using Intra-Cytoplasmic Sperm Injection as part of The Birmingham Post's Funded Fertility Treatment For All initiative.

They were the second of four couples who received funding for various treatments at Midland Fertility Services, based in Aldridge, Walsall.

Mrs W, aged 25, began her course of drug therapy in June to help her body develop more follicles which produce eggs.

Although last month the couple, who are both chefs, discovered their first cycle of IVF had not succeeded they are not giving up on their dreams of becoming parents.

Yesterday they were told MFS would help them fund the transfer of two embryos created from the IVF treatment.

Mrs W said: "I think the hormones did send my body a bit doolally but as soon as I had the egg collection I just didn't feel right.

"After that I was in a lot of pain for about two weeks. I just knew it hadn't worked, I hurt so much it was like my body was fighting against it."

She returned to the clinic where she had a scan which revealed her ovaries were really swollen.

The fertility drugs caused her to grow 16 new follicles, instead of an average eight to 12, putting extra pressure on her womb.

On July 21, Mrs W awoke in the middle of the night.

"For us the worst point was a week after the embryo transfer," she said. "I woke up in the middle of the night and I was covered in blood.

"I didn't have a very good time, it was very hard for my husband to see me in so much pain but it hasn't put us off the idea of treatment totally."

Mr and Mrs W are not alone in their experience. In Britain, one in six couples face difficulties in conceiving but many of them struggle to get NHSfunded treatment.

The Birmingham Post launched its campaign to improve the number of cycles funded by NHS trusts in January, following National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidance stating women should be offered up to three cycles.

Mrs W said: "We needed to have this done because his sperm count is low following a serious bike accident.

"It's been as hard for him as it has been for me, because he sees this as his fault and his responsibility. We are going to give it another go, because we both desperately want to start a family of our own."