Nicola Adams reveals she's expecting a baby with girlfriend Ella Baig

Nicola Adams and Ella Baig are having a baby! Boxer, 39, reveals her egg was implanted into girlfriend, 23, via IVF – after miscarriage heartbreak

Nicola, 39, froze her eggs during her boxing career and donated an egg to impregnate Ella, 23, using a sperm donor

By Rebecca Lawrence For Mailonline

Published: 13:16 GMT, 17 February 2022 | Updated: 13:43 GMT, 17 February 2022

Nicola Adams and Ella Baig have announced they are expecting a baby.

The couple made the reveal in a joint Instagram post on Thursday with pictures of the pair kissing and an ultrasound scan.

Boxer Nicola, 39, revealed the couple had been trying to get pregnant for three years using IVF. And after freezing her eggs during her career as a boxer, she was able to provide one to impregnate Ella, 23, with the help of a sperm donor.

Ella, who tragically suffered a miscarriage earlier on in their fertility journey, is now in her second trimester.

Proud parents-to-be: Nicola Adams has revealed she’s expecting a baby with girlfriend Ella Baig: ‘We’re so excited to share this magical journey’ (pictured on Wednesday)

Nicola told Vogue of their fertility journey: ‘We decided that Ella would carry the baby, that we’d use my egg, and find a sperm donor that resembled Ella.

‘The main hurdle was not knowing as much about IVF as we do now – about the tests that needed to be done and the things to look out for which can affect the pregnancy.’

She revealed that they had two failed attempts, as Ella tragically had a miscarriage.

Nicola, who said she would like to have more children with Ella in the future, added: ‘I wanted to talk about our experiences because I think there’s still a stigma attached to the IVF process and, for same-sex couples, there’s an additional layer of complexity.’

The couple made the reveal in a joint Instagram post on Thursday showing the pair kissing and an ultrasound picture.

HOW DOES IVF WORK?

In-vitro fertilisation, known as IVF, is a medical procedure in which a woman has an already-fertilised egg inserted into her womb to become pregnant.

It is used when couples are unable to conceive naturally, and a sperm and egg are removed from their bodies and combined in a laboratory before the embryo is inserted into the woman.

Once the embryo is in the womb, the pregnancy should continue as normal.

The procedure can be done using eggs and sperm from a couple or those from donors.

Guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends that IVF should be offered on the NHS to women under 43 who have been trying to conceive through regular unprotected sex for two years.

People can also pay for IVF privately, which costs an average of £3,348 for a single cycle, according to figures published in January 2018, and there is no guarantee of success.

The NHS says success rates for women under 35 are about 29 per cent, with the chance of a successful cycle reducing as they age.

Around eight million babies are thought to have been born due to IVF since the first ever case, British woman Louise Brown, was born in 1978.

Chances of success

The success rate of IVF depends on the age of the woman undergoing treatment, as well as the cause of the infertility (if it’s known).

Younger women are more likely to have a successful pregnancy.

IVF isn’t usually recommended for women over the age of 42 because the chances of a successful pregnancy are thought to be too low.

Between 2014 and 2016 the percentage of IVF treatments that resulted in a live birth was:

29 per cent for women under 35

23 per cent for women aged 35 to 37

15 per cent for women aged 38 to 39

9 per cent for women aged 40 to 42

3 per cent for women aged 43 to 44

2 per cent for women aged over 44

The couple announced their happy news in a joint Instagram post that read: ‘We’re so excited to announce that our family is expanding.

‘After what feels like a lifetime, we can finally say we’re going to be parents!

‘We’re so excited to share this magical journey with you all, the ups, the downs everything in between. Welcome to the world little one.’

The most common way for a woman in a same-sex relationship to become pregnant is to use donated sperm.

Same-sex couples can also conceive via co-parenting – This is when 2 or more people team up to conceive and parent children together.

LGBT+ couples in the UK can also adopt or foster a child together.

Ella and Nicola have been dating for four years, having met on a night out in Leeds.

Last year, Nicola discussed starting a family with Ella – who she said will be the one who gets pregnant as ‘she’s more nurturing’.

The former Strictly Come Dancing contestant also insisted she’s ‘immature’ as she revealed their 16-year age gap doesn’t phase them.

On becoming a parent in the future, the athlete said: ‘Ella will probably carry the baby. She’s more nurturing than me.’

The Olympian went on to detail their romance as she added to The Times Weekend: ‘I thought [the age gap] might bother us but we don’t notice it. It might have something to do with my ADHD – I’m a bit immature sometimes.

‘I have to pick up dog poo from the garden after it’s been raining. It’s just horrible, right?’

Lockdown in the UK only served to bring the pair closer together, even though they had reservations because they are usually apart for long periods.

Cute couple: Ella has been dating Nicola for four years, having met on a night out in Leeds

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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk

Nicola Adams reveals she’s expecting a baby with girlfriend Ella Baig

Nicola Adams and Ella Baig are having a baby! Boxer, 39, reveals her egg was implanted into girlfriend, 23, via IVF – after miscarriage heartbreak

HOW DOES IVF WORK?

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