By sharing her experience, Leona hopes more people will feel able to speak openly about fertility, seek support and know they are not alone.
Fertility Scotland has a range of resources available via www.fertility.nhs.scot
“People just struggle quietly” – Skye woman shares fertility journey
Written by MartyM on 12 February 2026
By Jamie McDonald
A Skye woman has spoken out about her fertility journey in the hope of encouraging others to come forward.
Leona Watkins, 31, a nursery worker from Broadford, says she decided to share her story after realising how many people were facing similar challenges.
“I didn’t realise that there were a lot of other people until I started speaking about it and then people would come forward and tell me their stories and issues.”
Leona took to social media last week, posting her experience on Instagram. Since then she’s been contacted by people both close to home and further afield.
“There were some people that I knew well and some people I didn’t. There was even a cousin in Australia that I hadn’t spoken to in years who came forward. She said her family didn’t even realise and I just found that really surprising that you wouldn’t tell your family what you’re going through.”
Leona Watkins
Leona and her partner Danny have one child. She says she was close to asking for help before she fell pregnant.
“With my first child we tried for about a year and just as I was going to go for the tests, we got pregnant. We’ve been trying for our second for about three years.
“Last year I went to the doctors and was sent through to Aberdeen which is the closest fertility centre. We went back and forth a few times for various tests. I ended up not being able to have the dye test to go through my tubes so they had to refer me for a laparoscopy.
“It turns out I have a blocked tube on one side. They don’t know what it is and they can’t remove it. It’s not the be-all and end-all. I still have one working tube. But if things are still not happening for us, then the next discussion will be IVF.”
In-vitro fertilisation treatment (IVF) is available on the NHS in Scotland with four specialist facilities across the country. Around 24% of IVF cycles result in a live birth, with higher success rates for women under 35.
The Scottish Government target is for 90% of eligible patients to be screened within 52 weeks of a referral.
However, patients are only given free care if they do not already have a child.
Leona says she wants more awareness around the costs associated with getting treatment.
“Before I even had the dye test, the talk was all about IVF. But what we didn’t know is, if you already have a child you do not get free IVF. It’s upwards from £6,000 so a lot of people can’t do it. It’s a lot to think about.”
Leona says many couples experience an emotional rollercoaster when trying for a baby.
“I think when you’re planning for a baby, you don’t expect to have any barriers. You just think you’ll plan for a baby, start trying and it’ll happen at some point. When it doesn’t happen, you can get very frustrated.”
She believes many people struggle quietly and may not always seek help.
“I don’t know if people just find it too personal to bring forward and discuss. I think a lot of people probably just struggle quietly and don’t even go to get help.
“A lot of people have loads of miscarriages and I don’t know if they just give up and don’t get to the next steps of trying to figure out the cause. A lot of people don’t get told what the problem is, they just get pushed for IVF.”
Leona describes the emotional toll of living with uncertainty.
“You kind of go through the whole grief and hope process. You try to prepare yourself for the possibility that this might not happen and start accepting it.”
“For me personally, I’m not sure where my journey is going to lead just now. I’m not quite ready to say yes to IVF and I’m not quite ready to stop looking into things. I think I will just sit with it for a while and see what happens but age is not on my side unfortunately.”
Despite the challenges, she says hearing from others has made a difference.
“I get hopeful stories all the time from friends and it helps to know that a lot of people are going through it with me. I don’t wish it on them but it’s nice to know that I’m not the only one and there’s people to talk to about it. I have a group of friends who I can discuss things with.”
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