A mum who was told by doctors that she was “100% infertile” went on to have five kids – and all naturally. Cheryl Dodd, 37, had been told she would never be able to conceive naturally after being diagnosed at 19 with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome [PCOS].
But incredibly, the part-time shop assistant went on to have five children with no medical assistance whatsoever. In fact, the single mum says she often laughs at the conversation she’d have with the doctor who told her she couldn’t have kids. The 37-year-old, from Telford, Shrops, is now proud parent to Harry, 14, Ellie-Jayne, 13, Annabelle, nine, Freddie, four, and Elizabeth-Ann, two. She said: “When doctors told me I couldn’t have kids I was devastated – I always assumed I’d be a mum. I was told it would be very unlikely for me to have children naturally and despite having the IVF option , it was still very unlikely. It was such a shock as I’d always thought I’d be fertile, just like my sister Freda. Eventually I thought ‘there are so many children in the world without parents who desperately need a loving, caring home’ and decided I was going to adopt or foster one. So I was stunned to discover I was pregnant with Harry completely naturally.
“Despite everything I’d been told I was actually having my own baby, conceived with no tests and tablets – it just happened. It was almost like once I relaxed and stopped thinking about it, my body kicked in. Now, I often think about going back to see the doctor who told me I couldn’t have kids originally with my brood of five. It would be funny. “It turned out I was actually quite fertile. Every single day I’m more than grateful and honoured to have the opportunity to be a parent, and I am so happy to hear the word ‘mum’.” Cheryl never had any symptoms of PCOS and said if it weren’t for an internal scan she would never have known she had the condition. Incredibly, when Cheryl became pregnant with eldest son Harry in 2003 with ex-husband Neil, she didn’t even know she was pregnant as she had no symptoms at all. She had only taken a pregnancy test to provide moral support for her friend who thought she might be expecting, so was stunned to see the results. Cheryl went on to have Ellie-Jayne, 13, naturally the following year and Annabelle, nine, in 2009 without any further issues.
And it seemed as though Cheryl was destined to become a mum to many, as after getting together with new partner Gareth in 2012 she got pregnant again with son Freddie, now four, and daughter Elizabeth-Ann, two. Cheryl said she did absolutely nothing special in order to conceive and continued her life as usual. But it wasn’t all plain sailing as she did suffer two miscarriages in 2008 and had a severe haemorrhage and asthma attack. The mum, who has been single again since 2018, has now set up her own blog to encourage other parents who are struggling to conceive.
She said: “I always assumed I’d be a mum but I never thought I’d have a big family – I had never pictured myself as a mum of five. But now my family is complete and all my children are thriving. Harry is driven, he loves science and I’m sure he will change the world one day. Ellie is an artist, she is fantastic at writing and she wants to be an author. Annabelle is the performer, she is innocent, she sees hearts and rainbows everywhere. Freddie has the most vivid imagination and Bethy is our princess, she is spoiled by everyone. I love being a mum of five and wouldn’t change it for anything in the world.”
Photo Credit: Getty
