A woman who hadn't started her periods at the age of 18 was devastated to discover she was born without a womb.
Melissa Christopher, from West Derby, went to the doctors as a teenager because she was confused about why she'd never had a period.
After being referred to specialists at Liverpool Women's Hospital, Melissa, now 32, was diagnosed with Mayer-Rokitansky-Küster-Hauser syndrome - a rare disorder that means her reproductive organs are missing.
Her underdeveloped ovaries produce eggs but she has no uterus so can’t carry kids herself - even with IVF.
Speaking to the ECHO, Melissa said: "I've always felt like part of me is missing.
"The one thing that I want in my life is to be able to be a mum."
Melissa and her partner David, 30, who are getting married in August after their wedding was postponed due to the pandemic, are now hoping to start a family of their own.
In April, the couple attended an appointment to discuss the options available to them if they wanted to have children.
Melissa's blood test results revealed her hormone levels were a lot lower than they should be and were similar to those doctors would expect to find in a 45-year-old.
This meant the couple were left with no other option but to apply for IVF funding with the hope of trying to extract eggs from Melissa's low reserve to give to a surrogate, or to support them with the costs of an egg donor.
But on May 13, they received another setback when they were denied the IVF funding.
Melissa said: "I feel like we keep getting knocked back. I was holding onto the hope that we would get that funding. I sobbed my eyes out that day."
Despite the setback, Melissa and David are determined to continue with their surrogacy journey.
They have set up a Go Fund Me page with the hope of raising enough money to cover the cost of the surrogacy, an egg donor and the start of the IVF process.
In a previous interview, Melissa said: “I do feel like I’m not really a woman and I’ve found it really hard to come to terms with the fact I’ll never have my own children.
“For ages I thought no one would ever want to be with me.
“It’s the worst possible thing a woman can be told. I don’t have a womb and it’s impossible for me to conceive children naturally.
“I’ll never know what it feels like to carry a child and that is heart breaking."
Melissa added: "David has been absolutely amazing right from day one. He loves me no matter what and wants me for who I am.
“I have had to accept that I’ll never have children of my own.
“It’s so upsetting but we just have to deal with it.”
To donate to the Go Fund Me page click here.
