'It was heartbreaking to attend a fertility appointment in a maternity unit'

A woman who has been on a 10-year IVF journey is calling for fertility and gynaecology appointments to be separated from maternity services in some hospitals following her "heartbreaking" experience.

Niamh Smyth and her husband Justyn have spent over a decade trying to start a family, undergoing four rounds of IVF (In vitro fertilisation), with three unsuccessful attempts and one pregnancy which ended in miscarriage.

After nearly five years on a gynaecology waiting list, Smyth attended her appointment in May in the Ulster Hospital in Northern Ireland.

However, struggling to find the whereabouts of the gynaecology department in the hospital, she said she was shocked to find out where she had been directed to go.

"I phoned them and asked where the gynaecology department was," she said.

"They told me it was inside the maternity unit. Whenever I heard that, my heart just dropped."

She described sitting alongside expectant parents and families before receiving difficult news about her fertility.

"It was heartbreaking," she added.

"I went in for my appointment, which was a hard appointment, and then had to walk back out past those families."

The South Eastern Trust, where Smyth was treated, said it hopes to relocate outpatient gynaecology services from the Ulster Hospital's maternity unit in the coming months.

Smyth said that it was not until after the appointment when she started to think about her experience, thinking she could not be the only person to feel upset about the location of her appointment.

She decided to share a video online and many women contacted her with similar stories, alluding that this is a wider issue throughout Northern Ireland.

"It isn't just me; it's been going on for years and nothing has changed."

Sinn Féin MLA Órlaithí Flynn, who has also undergone fertility treatment, said she recognises the emotions felt by Smyth.

Following her own miscarriage, Flynn said she had "very vivid memories" of attending appointments at the Regional Fertility Clinic.

"Your senses are totally heightened in terms of noticing babies coming and going from maternity hospitals and noticing pregnant mothers going in to have their babies," she said.

"All of those things seem a lot more sharp and a lot more real, and it can hurt."

Flynn said the health trusts "do need to take into consideration the surrounding environment," and should consider the emotional impact of where fertility and gynaecology services are located.

She said that the location of where services are delivered should be considered as part of the Department of Health's 'Women's Health Strategy'.

BBC News NI contacted all five health trusts on the locations of their fertility and gynaecology services in relation to their maternity units.

The Belfast Trust said its Regional Fertility Centre operates from a "dedicated facility" with "its own separate entrance", while the Southern Trust say fertility treatment is provided from a "standalone clinic".

However, the Western, Northern and South Eastern trusts acknowledge that attending appointments close to maternity services in some of their hospitals can be difficult for some women.

Both the Northern and Western trusts said they are exploring ways to improve the experiences women with fertility struggles will have attending their services.

For Smyth, while it is painful for her to share her experience, she hopes she can encourage change for women facing similar journeys.

"I think fertility services should be in a separate unit from maternity.

"You're going through probably one of the hardest things you can go through. It just adds more stress and more pressure at a time when you really don't need it."

If you have been affected by the issues raised in this story you can visit the BBC Action Line for support.