On the day of the diagnosis she recalls staring at herself in the mirror and struggling to understand seemingly since she looked like a woman but was told she would never have children as she had no womb, ovaries or fallopian tubes.
Hayley and her husband Sam, both 28, stated that they are overjoyed to become parents; however, stressed that it has been a long hard road.
Hayley had no idea she was different growing up, but at the age of 19 she still had not started her periods despite going through other signs of puberty.
After months of hospital trips, specialists told her she had been born with XY chromosomes, meaning she was genetically male.
“When they told me I had no womb I was so confused I felt sick. My biggest fear was never having children.”
Hayley stated that she was always embarrassed and always thought if she’ll be able to tell a guy “I was genetically a male.”
One man she could tell was her friend Sam. They had been close since 16 and he comforted her throughout her ordeal.
“She told me no man would want her. I told her that any man worth having would. At the time I said that I was only a friend, but it’s quite romantic that I turned out to be that man.”
In 2007, a ray of hope came when a new specialist at Royal Derby Hospital found a tiny womb missed on previous scans.
“It was only a few millimeters, but it was a start,” she said.
“He was optimistic it would grow. I still couldn’t conceive naturally but I could have the option of IVF.”
The first step in her treatment was a course of hormone tablets to give her the right levels of progesterone and estrogen.
Meanwhile, Hayley and Sam’s friendship blossomed and after she spent her 22nd birthday with him in London, he asked her to be his girlfriend.
“I felt accepted with Sam and loved for who I am.”
“We both wanted a family, but we just had to wait and see if the treatment worked.”
They got their answer in 2011 when Hayley was told her womb was ready for IVF, but then came a bitter blow when their local NHS trust refused to fund free IVF even though guidelines said it should.
Determined not to give up, they paid more than half their savings for IVF treatment at a clinic in Cyprus, and last April they flew 2,000 miles to pursue their dream.
“I was so nervous. We only had one shot and couldn’t afford to go through it all again. I desperately wanted to be a mother and knew if there were no viable eggs or the implantation wasn’t successful I’d be distraught.”
It is worth noting that of the 13 eggs harvested only two were viable. Doctors told her there was a 60% chance she would get pregnant and she should wait two weeks before taking a test. But her excitement got the better of her after she started feeling faint and she took a test after 10 days.
“I was so nervous I was shaking from head to toe,” she says.
“I peered at the test and it said positive. I couldn’t contain my happiness.”
When Hayley went for her six-week scan it was a shock to discover that the couple was expecting non-identical twins.
“I couldn’t believe it,” says Hayley. “I freaked out, but I was over the moon at the same time. I had the chance to have a complete family.”
The first 12 weeks were nerve-racking because there was still a chance she could miscarry.
On Christmas Eve she gave birth naturally to Avery and Darcey, 4lbs 6oz. Although they were premature, the girls were healthy.