A new mother who suffered a devastating 19 miscarriages over 14 years has spoken of her joy at finally meeting her miracle baby.
Jo Short, 37, had been diagnosed with
endometriosis - a gynaecological condition affecting almost two million
women in the UK, where womb tissue grows painfully in other areas of
the body - but she and her husband Steve were told by eight different
medical consultants that this should not be affecting her ability to
carry a baby to term.
The couple from Newport, Wales, appeared on ITV's Daybreak with their healthy baby Emily-Kate to explain that they successfully conceived her just months after Jo had pioneering surgery.
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Jo and Steve Short appearing on Daybreak with their miracle baby Emily-Kate
Jo Short who gave birth to her baby Emily after
suffering from 19 Miscarriges is pictured here with her husband Steve
and baby Emily-Kate
'It's been a real emotional
rollercoaster, really quite difficult, but it's been well worth it',
said Jo, holding Emily-Kate. 'The challenge was there's limited research
into the link between endometriosis and miscarriage.
'The frustration was in being told by eight different consultants that everything was normal and to go away and keep trying.'
Steve added: 'The real difficulty is
they tell you there is nothing categorically wrong. And every time you
roll the dice and you get pregnant you hope something will change but
you know deep down it won't.'
'It's been a real emotional rollercoaster, really quite difficult, but it's been well worth it', said Jo
'The frustration was in being told by eight different consultants that everything was normal and to go away and keep trying'
'It's been a real emotional rollercoaster, really quite difficult, but it's been well worth it'
'Every time you roll the dice and you get pregnant you hope something will change but you know deep down it won't,' said Steve
Jo explained that over the years she
had had four laproscopies - a laser procedure that involves sticking a
tiny telescope into the body to see what's happening inside and to carry
out surgery - each to a depth of 2.5mm.
Each session would involve doctors
removing parts of the womb tissue from inside her stomach, which would
relieve the pain for about a year but still leave Jo miscarrying.
Then the couple met
Cardiff consultant Richard Penketh who told her about a pioneering
surgery being trialled in Canada that involved cutting back deeper than
2.5mm - all the way to healthy tissue.
Jo and Steve Short with Dr Sarah Jarvis
discussing Jo's operation for endometriosis that helped them
successfully conceive baby Emily-Kate
The family are picture perfect and couldn't be happier with baby Emily-Kate
'The ramifications for other women are huge,' said Dr Sarah Jarvis, who joined the couple on Daybreak. 'One miscarriage is utterly devastating.
'You don't lose a pregnancy, you lose a baby and everything that goes with it.
'As soon as you find out you're
pregnant you're dreaming of them getting married! When you're ready to
try again is when you're ready for that emotional reattachment.
'A couple who have had three miscarriages are at risk of having more - lots of women have one or two.
'The good news for a woman who's had
recurrent miscarriages is that your chances of having a healthy baby are
much greater than if you can't get pregnant in the first place. Getting
pregnant in the first place is often a huge issue.
'This won't help everyone, but there may be women out there for whom it does.'
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