Joanna Forrester, an offshore helicopter pilot, has fulfilled her long-held dream of motherhood at 44 after a challenging fertility journey marked by setbacks, geographic separation, and pandemic disruptions.
In her thirties, Joanna froze her embryos, a decision encouraged by her mother years earlier but only seriously pursued while training in the U.S. After earning her pilot qualifications and returning to the UK in 2019, she chose the Bristol Centre for Reproductive Medicine (BCRM) due to its reputation and success rates.
Initial tests revealed a lower-than-average egg reserve, prompting her consultant to recommend embryo freezing over eggs. Joanna’s partner, Sindre, whom she met in flight school, supported her by donating sperm despite the complexity of their recent relocations—Joanna to the UK and Sindre to Norway.
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The first egg retrieval cycle was unsuccessful, and shortly after, the COVID-19 pandemic halted fertility treatments and grounded her flying career. Pivoting, Joanna worked as an Amazon delivery driver, maintaining peak fitness by walking extensively daily.
When treatments resumed, her perseverance paid off: a second cycle yielded one frozen embryo, and a third produced six eggs and three more embryos frozen. In total, four embryos were preserved.
In August 2021, Joanna relocated to Aberdeen for a new flying role, while travel restrictions kept her and Sindre apart for 18 months. Their relationship endured the distance until Sindre joined her in late 2022. Attempts at natural conception were unsuccessful due to Joanna’s low ovarian reserve, so she returned to BCRM for IVF.
The path was still challenging: the first embryo transfer failed, and the second ended in a heartbreaking miscarriage at 12 weeks. Finally, in May 2024, the third embryo transfer succeeded. Joanna gave birth to a daughter, Alia, in February 2025.
After medical clearance, Joanna introduced Alia to her grandparents in Surrey and Stavanger, Norway. Reflecting on her daughter’s name, chosen during their time in Hawaii, Joanna shares a light-hearted moment when hospital records mistakenly listed Alia as “Alan,” a nickname they now affectionately use.
“Becoming a mother at 44 opens an exciting new chapter,” Joanna says. “Our beautiful daughter is a dream come true. I hope my story inspires women facing similar challenges to remain hopeful. I’m deeply grateful to the amazing team at BCRM who made this possible.”
BCRM, Bristol’s longest-established fertility clinic, offers both NHS and private treatments across the South West and Wales, supporting many on their paths to parenthood.