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When Lee Cowden wanted to start a family at the age of 25 she knew she would need fertility treatment because聽she had been diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome聽as a teenager.

Following an unsuccessful first round of IVF, Lee said she was advised to increase the amount of fertility drugs she was taking.

After she doubled her dosage, she suffered a major heart attack which was later confirmed to have been caused by a blood clot, induced by the IVF drugs.

Here, she shares her experiences and explains why she is supporting the Safer IVF campaign.

The Safer IVF campaign is about making IVF safer and better for women undergoing treatment.

Many people are surprised to learn that data on the drugs prescribed to women during IVF is not collected, and that the long and short-term health impacts are not actually monitored.

Addressing this loophole in the law is essential, and it is a cause important to me because I am one of those women who has experienced the potentially harmful side effects of IVF treatment.

As a teenager I learned I had polycystic ovarian syndrome and that when the time came to have a family I would need medical intervention.

I always knew that I wanted to have children, so when I got married at 25 I was referred to my local fertility clinic which started treatment.

The first cycle was unsuccessful, so for the next cycle my dosage of drugs was doubled.

I didn't really question it and thought that if I had more drugs then I would produce more eggs, which would increase our chances of success.

It was during that cycle of treatment that I developed OHSS, Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome.

As a result of OHSS I suffered a massive heart attack, just three months after getting married at the age of 25.

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I was in hospital for four weeks and during that time I was told that I would never be able to have treatment again.

I was not willing to accept this, however, and so after much research we discovered Dr Geeta Nargund, who specialises in safer lower drug IVF.

We had mild IVF in January 2006 and as a result our daughter Molly was born.

Although my reaction to fertility drugs and OHSS was severe, unfortunately my story is not unique and I have spoken to other women who have experienced severe reactions to overstimulation.

It is also evident from talking to other women that far too often the difficult side effects of IVF treatment and overstimulation are seen as part and parcel of the journey - the price we pay for wanting a baby.

What is most frustrating is that this does not have to be the case.

By monitoring the drugs and dosages prescribed to women during IVF, and amending disclosure rules so that linkages can be made between IVF treatment and hospital, cancer, birth and death registries, vital research can be done to ensure that the long and short-term health of both women and babies is protected.

I hope that the government recognises this by voting on the Safer IVF bill.