MOTHER'S Day was especially precious for one mum, Nicola Sheppard, who conceived daughter Lucy by In Vitro Fertilisation.

Gayle McBain and Karen Stephen look at the conception method increasingly being used by couples desperate for a child

MOTHER'S Day is an important time for mums everywhere -- but for Nicola Sheppard it was an extra special celebration.

Their daughter Lucy, now aged two, was the first baby born by IVF -- In Vitro Fertilisation -- at Bolton's Beaumont Hospital.

And, in a second personal miracle, Nicola is expecting a second child, again by IVF.

Today husband James says: "Without IVF, there would be no Lucy. I can't imagine that. She's two now and into everything. She's absolutely fantastic -- the love of our lives."

The couple had been trying, unsuccessfully, for a baby for two years and decided to opt for IVF when they heard that Beaumont Hospital was starting to carry out fertility treatments, linked with the Alexandra Hospital in Manchester.

James said: "We're lucky because Nicola became pregnant straight away -- some people wait for years for IVF to be a success. It can be quite heartbreaking."

Now, they are keeping their fingers crossed that everything will be fine for this second IVF pregnancy.

"It's early days, but the baby is due in October and we are all absolutely over the moon."

As more than one in seven couples are unable to conceive within a year, IVF treatment is becoming increasingly popular.

Reports reveal that one in every 80 births in the UK is the result of IVF, and 30,000 treatments were carrried out last year.

Dr Mark Hamilton, treasurer of the British Fertility Society, said IVF had dramatically improved the chances of infertile couples having a family.

He said: "I can't imagine infertility treatment without IVF. The treatment of what was previously irreversible infertility has now been radically transformed for many people."

Since the first test tube baby, Louise Brown, was born in 1978 around 68,000 babies have been born in Britain, thanks to the IVF method.

Cost is a vital factor for couples to consider when exploring the possibility of IVF. Around 80 per cent of IVF treatment is carried out privately at a cost of between £1,500 and £3,000.

The process of IVF involves the collection of sperm and eggs which are then mixed outside the woman's body in a culture dish.

Any eggs that fertilise are left to grow for up to two days and then up to three embryos can be transferred into the patient's womb in a delicate surgical procedure.

While IVF undoubtedly brings a great deal of joy to many couples it can also bring intense heartache, as television personality Anthea Turner recently revealed following unsuccessful treatment.

But for James and Nicola Sheppard, Mothering Sunday is simply one more day when they thank their lucky stars for IVF bringing them Lucy -- "the love of our lives".

IVF FACTFILE

THE Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) oversees all elements of IVF in the UK, both private and National Health.

More than 68,000 babies have been born in the UK as a result of IFV treatment since 1978

More than 50 per cent of births due to IVF have been in the last three years

21.8 per cent of IVF treatment cycles result in a birth. For women aged under 38, the success rate per treatment cycle is 25.1 per cent.

A growing proportion of women starting IVF treatment are aged 38 or older. In 1998-1999, 22 per cent of IVF cycles involved women older than 38. In 2000-2001 the proportion was 25 per cent.

HFEA figures show that there are great variations in the success rates of different clinics, with some clinics achieving success rates as high as 46 per cent and others achieving success rates as low as 10 per cent.

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority website is: www.hfea.gov.uk