The mum has been praised for her honesty …

Legs in stirrups, wearing a hospital gown and surrounded by medical staff is probably not the way most of us imagine we’ll get pregnant. But for many – this mum included – this is the reality if you’re having fertility treatment.

Sharing her own personal and incredibly powerful photo of what the moment of ‘getting pregnant’ – when the embryo is transferred back into your uterus as part of the IVF process – really looks like, it's no wonder Ashley's post has thousands of likes.

Ashley, who posts on Instagram under the name @some_assembly_required__, shared a photo of herself just after the embryo transfer procedure was carried out earlier this month.

She’s now facing the two-week wait before finding out if it’s been successful.

The mum of twins, who was diagnosed as infertile in 2018, has had nine rounds of IVF.

In the post, Ashley wrote:

‘This is how I get pregnant.

‘It’s not glamorous or sexy. It’s not sensual or spontaneous. It’s not fun or eventful.

‘It’s 51 days of medication and injections leading to today. It will be three more months of medication and injections if this baby decides to stay.’

She adds:

‘This is IVF. For us, our 9th round and 6th transfer … It’s our journey, it’s all we know and for us and our story, it’s perfect.

‘Now we wait. 12 days from now blood will be drawn and results given. But that will only be the beginning.

‘For now, one step at a time.

‘For today, I am pregnant. Please sweet baby stay with us, you are already so loved.’

Ashley’s post has gained widespread praise from others who’ve been – or are going through – fertility treatment.

Commenting on her post, which was re-shared on Instagram by @ivfbabble, one wrote:

‘After our transfers we call it “pregnant until proven otherwise” 💪🏼 Well done on getting to today and wishing the very best for the next few weeks.’

Another posted:

‘I can FEEL my legs in those stirrups and hear the velcro like it was yesterday.’

And another woman, who has just had her own embryo transfer procedure, wrote:

‘I feel every ounce of this! Our OTD is tomorrow & my Dr is doing bloods today. Sending you all the love & hope for success!’

Another wrote:

‘So true and can completely relate. Stick baby stick 🙌🏽👏🏼❤️’

And another posted:

‘Wow this is amazing! So honest & raw & true! Wishing you all the luck in the world ✨✨’

What is IVF and what does it involve?

IVF stands for in vitro fertilisation. It's one of several fertility techniques that can help couples who are struggling to conceive.

It works by collecting a woman's eggs and fertilising them with sperm in a laboratory.

If fertilisation is successful, the egg becomes an embryo and this is then transferred into the woman's womb to grow and develop over the next nine months.

IVF success rates depend on the woman’s age, along with the cause of the infertility (if it's known).

Official NHS figures show that in 2019, the percentage of IVF treatments that resulted in a live birth was:

• 32% for women under 35
• 25% for women aged 35 to 37
• 19% for women aged 38 to 39
• 11% for women aged 40 to 42
• 5% for women aged 43 to 44
• 4% for women aged over 44

Find out more about the six stages of IVF and what to do if you’re having problems TTC.

Read more about IVF …

What happens when you have IVF

CHAT: Becoming a mum: TTC

Fertility problems: what do I do now?