{"id":538192,"date":"2026-03-15T15:06:09","date_gmt":"2026-03-15T15:06:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/538192\/"},"modified":"2026-03-15T15:06:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-15T15:06:09","slug":"i-have-four-months-left-to-preserve-my-fertility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/538192\/","title":{"rendered":"‘I have four months left to preserve my fertility’"},"content":{"rendered":"

A woman who has undergone major surgery for severe endometriosis plans to “urgently” freeze her eggs in the hope of one day starting a family.<\/p>\n

Iona Hall, 30, from Bristol, underwent two operations in 2024 to remove a 10cm cyst on her ovary and separate her bowels and uterus, which had fused together.<\/p>\n

She has set up a fundraiser to generate the \u00a321,000 needed to cover three rounds of harvesting, which she says must happen in the next four months as her egg reserve is “critically low”.<\/p>\n

Hall said: “It feels frightening, but the little eggs I do have left are good quality, so it’s not over.”<\/p>\n

What is endometriosis?<\/p>\n

According the NHS, endometriosis<\/a> occurs when cells similar to those in the lining of the uterus grow in other parts of the body.<\/p>\n

It often affects the ovaries, fallopian tubes and the tissue lining the pelvis.<\/p>\n

Symptoms include severe abdominal pain, heavy periods, painful sex and fatigue.<\/p>\n

It is thought that one in 10 women suffer with the condition, and on average, it takes more than eight years from the first GP appointment to get a diagnosis.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

The growing tissue causes inflammation, pain, scar tissue, and potential fertility issues [NHS]<\/p>\n

Hall, a self-employed silversmith, first noticed symptoms after coming off the contraceptive pill which she said had been “masking” the pain for 10 years.<\/p>\n

“When I was in my teens and early twenties I just thought I was getting urinary and kidney infections all the time,” she told BBC Radio Bristol.<\/p>\n

More from Bristol<\/p>\n

“I just thought I was one of those unlucky girls. The pain just never went.<\/p>\n

“It got so bad I was waking up in the middle of the night, throwing up from the pain and writhing around on the floor.”<\/p>\n

Doctors initially misdiagnosed Hall, at the age of 24, with chronic urinary tract infections (UTIs), prescribing her six months worth of antibiotics.<\/p>\n

By the time they realised something was seriously wrong “the endometriosis has spread everywhere,” she said.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

Hall underwent two major operations to remove cysts that had spread from her lower abdomen up to her diaphragm [Iona Hall]<\/p>\n

After undergoing two major operations, doctors warned Hall that her egg count had dropped to “critically low” numbers.<\/p>\n

Her anti-Mullerian Hormone<\/a> (AMH) levels – a measure of egg reserve – prior to surgery was 11.9. It has now reduced to 2.1.<\/p>\n

For comparison, the average number for a 30-year-old is around 17, Iona said.<\/p>\n

“I was really, really upset,” she said. “Freezing my eggs is my only chance to preserve my fertility and give myself the option of a family in the future.<\/p>\n

“Endometriosis has taken so much from my life, and I don’t want it to take this from me too.”<\/p>\n

Hall’s fundraiser<\/a> has generated more than \u00a310,000 to date.<\/p>\n

Follow BBC Bristol on Facebook<\/a>, X<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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