so brave
The Circle’s Beth in tears as she reveals fertility struggle after ‘two years of trying’ with Love Island star boyfriend
THE Circle’s Beth Dunlavey and her Love Island boyfriend Connagh Howard have opened up about their heartbreaking fertility struggle.
Beth, 33, and Connagh, 31 - who have been dating since March 2020 - bravely spoke out about it on social media.
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The pair sat down and recorded a very honest video for their followers to listen to.
Beth - who shot to fame on Channel 4's The Circle in 2019 - explained that after a year of dating they stopped being "careful" so that she could fall pregnant.
The reality star thought that the endometriosis surgery that she had last year would help her start a family, but still hadn't become pregnant.
She was then referred to a fertility clinic in September 2022, and in November, Connagh, who was on Love Island in 2020, had his first semen analysis - which came back borderline.
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He explained that were things he could do to improve it, such as cutting out protein supplements, and then retested in February 2023 and everything had "improved".
Beth later had eight sessions of acupuncture to try and help her get pregnant, but it didn't work.
Earlier this year in March they were told that it is "unexplained fertility", so they were offered IVF, but confessed that they weren't expecting it.
They later had a zoom appointment with a fertility consultant in April to talk about the option of IVF and they then decided to go for it.
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What is IVF
The process involves removing an egg from a woman's ovaries and fertilising them using sperm in a labratory.
The fertilised egg, also known as the embryo, is transferred back into a woman's womb to grow.
The process can use eggs and sperm from the couple themselves, or these can be sourced from a doctor.
By June they completed the consent forms and then went to the clinic to pick the beginning of treatment the following month.
The couple are eligible for three rounds of IVF and egg treatment.
The coupe said that they will keep their fans updated with their journey.
Beth captioned the Instagram post: "There’s something we haven’t been telling you (and it’s been killing me because you know how much I love to share with you), I’d like to say for the last 3 months but really it’s been for the last 2 years.
"It’s consumed our life and relationship.
"This journey, if you’ve been misfortunate enough to have to go through it too, is painful, raw, uncertain and full of grief but we do it because all we seek is the family we know we deserve to have.
"I hope, if you need it you find some solace in my sharing and if you’re lucky enough not to, I hope sharing my journey will inform & shed light on the stark reality of infertility for many couples."
Many rushed to the comments section to share their love and support.
One fan wrote: "So much love for you both sending you alllllll the positive energy."
Another said: "Its good you have spoke out about this . I was trying for a baby for 7 years and kept it secret my mental health was so low . Dont give up."
"Thinking of you and supporting you all the way beautiful. Sending you SO much love, strength & positivity on this journey. If I’m totally honest I have every single bit of faith in my mind that you will be a mam. Xxxx," a third added.
A fourth chimed in: "You’re so brave for sharing this. You’ve got each other and it will all make sense eventually."
Beth and Connagh started dating in early 2020 just before lockdown.
In 2021 they revealed they were finally moved out with Beth's family home after living with her parents for a whole year.
The love birds got into a relationship just before the UK were put into lockdown because of the coronavirus, so they had to move in together pretty quick.
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Beth started dating Jack Quirk after they lived together in The Circle, while Connagh was linked to Rebecca Gormley in the villa.
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