Paul and Mehtap Freed want to start a family. But like one in five couples fulfilling their dream is a heartbreaking and sometimes desperate journey. EMILY CLARK finds out more

Second-hand cars and old furniture are one thing but posters advertising for a baby are not what you expect to find hanging on the wall of a newsagents.

But for prospective parents Paul and Mehtap Freed, fly posting is a last, desperate attempt to find an egg donor which would enable them to have a baby.

In their eight-year struggle to conceive, they have tried In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) five times, consulted doctors and tried other assisted treatments but Mrs Freed cannot produce eggs and their only chance of parenthood now is to find a donor.

"We joined a waiting list at a private clinic in October and now we have a three-year wait," said Mr Freed, 45, who lives with his wife in King Edward Road, Chipping Barnet. "We go to the top if we find our own donor."

But it is easier said than done and they have resorted to putting up postcards and posters in newspapers and nearby shops reading 'An Infertile Couple Need Your Help'.

Unfortunately, the posters have been unproductive. Mr Freed thinks job seekers are reading them, not potential egg donors.

Although they have sought advice for eight years the Freeds went private to avoid having to go on a waiting list for IVF, which can take a lot longer.

Another complication in the process is that under UK law, couples cannot pay for a woman to donate her eggs but only offer to cover expenses.

Appealing for young women to go under local anaesthetic, take drugs and donate their eggs out of goodwill is not an easy task.

But at the cost of a small risk the Freeds, who have been married 14 years, feel their lives would be given purpose and direction if they had a baby.

"We feel unfulfilled at the moment," said Mrs Freed. "We love children and we want our own child to look after, to be responsible for, to educate and to watch grow. I feel it would give our lives purpose.

"When you get to a certain age you feel strong maternal instincts. It is very sad for us not being able to have children. All our friends do and we lose contact with them because they have different interests to us."

Infertility is a problem for almost 20 per cent of couples but the Freeds are reminded of the issue wherever they go. They feel the world is geared towards children.

"Everywhere is family-orientated," said Mr Freed. "The world, and especially the USA, is set up for kids not adults and everywhere we go we feel it."

Each time they tried IVF the Freeds could not help but make up names for their baby. But after each effort their hopes were disappointed and now time is running out.

"There is a sense of urgency," said Mr Freed. "In ourselves we are running out of time because we do not want to bring up a teenager in our 70s."

If they find a donor, the egg would be fertilised and implanted into Mrs Freed's womb. She would carry and give birth to the child with the same chances as a fertile couple of conceiving successfully.

They have been advised to find a woman aged between 18 and 32 with a history of good health.

There are currently 77 couples on the NHS in Barnet waiting to have their first treatments and Barnet Primary Care Trust (PCT) admits they can expect to wait "a relatively long time". In the Freeds' private clinic there was no queue.

Egg donation is not available on the NHS in Barnet. Infertile couples have two options: IVF or intra cytoplasmic sperm injection, where the sperm is introduced directly to the eggs.

The service is available for women under 37 who have not been able to conceive for more than three years or who have proven Fallopian tube damage.

Some health authorities have up to 400 couples waiting for treatment and others do not fund fertility treatments at all. Barnet also funds up to three attempts at assisted conception treatment only one of 18 in the UK which provide couples with this many chances.

If you are interested in helping the Freeds with an egg donation, call the London Fertility Centre on 020 7224 2766 and quote reference number 02050. Calls will be dealt with confidentially.

Key facts:

Infertility treatment with Barnet Primary Care Trust is available for couples who meet the following criteria:

- They live in Barnet and the woman is aged under 37;

- The couple have been unable to conceive over a three year period during which time unprotected intercourse has occurred;

- The woman has proven Fallopian tube damage but does not require tubule surgery or an egg donation;

- They have already tried three cycles of IVF without success