WAKING up from surgery to remove cysts the size of tennis balls from her ovaries, Sally Dachtler had one question: "Will I still be able to have children?"

Minutes after her gruelling operation, the 29-year-old received the news she had been desperately waiting to hear.

Despite severe damage to her Fallopian tubes, doctors had managed to save one of Sally's ovaries.

Better still, she was being offered free fertility treatment on the NHS.

"I wasn't bothered about the cysts or my tubes," said Sally, who lives in Borrowash with her husband, Nick.

"All I wanted to know when I came round was that I would still be in with a good chance of having a family.

"When my doctor said I'd probably still be able to have a baby, I felt so relieved and happy.

"But then he said he wasn't going to take any chances and offered me IVF. I snapped his hand off. I really wanted to give it a try."

Sally and Nick had been trying for a baby since they got married in September 2005.

After surgery to treat a serious gynaecological disorder called endometriosis, the pair embarked on their first course of IVF treatment.

Now they are the proud parents of twins.

Sally and Nick's non-identical babies were born five weeks early on May 15 at the Royal Derby Hospital. Tom was the first to arrive, weighing 4lbs 13ozs, and Lily, who weighed 5lbs 1oz, followed two minutes later.

"We are truly blessed," said Sally. "When I found out that I was actually having a baby I could hardly believe it.

"Expecting twins was such a surprise but nothing prepared us for when they arrived.

"The first five weeks were nothing short of a whirlwind. We hardly slept as we tried to look after them. But it was the most amazing thing in the world."

Sally and Nick had IVF in 2008 at CARE Fertility in Nottingham. It came a year after Sally's surgery to help treat endometriosis, a disease which occurs when the womb lining is found growing in the wrong places.

"We started trying for a baby as soon as we got married," said Sally. "When nothing had happened 18 months later, I began to get suspicious.

"I knew something must be wrong. I had hoped to get pregnant soon after the wedding."

In 2007, Sally and Nick, 37, visited their doctor to share their concerns. They underwent tests and nothing was discovered.

But when Sally started suffering acute abdominal pain in the night, she pushed for more medical investigations.

"I was sent to see a gynaecologist and it was then that I was diagnosed with endometriosis. I had a scan and that's when the cysts were discovered. They were absolutely massive.

"I didn't know much about this condition but I learned fast. My doctor told me that my womb lining had been growing in the wrong place.

"It can affect other organs outside the uterus and cause serious pain.

"My cysts were a result of my womb lining attaching itself to my Fallopian tubes.

"It was quite a shock to hear how huge they were. I think they were 7cm and 8cms in length.

"In fact, after I was told what I had I could physically feel them. If I lay down, flat on my back, I could feel their round-like shape."

Sally was not desperately upset after her diagnosis in September 2008. She says she actually felt a strange sense of relief because it confirmed that something had been wrong.

"I took medication at first to see if they would shrink," said Sally. "But that didn't happen. My only chance of treating the condition was to remove the cysts, which was a worry because of where they were.

"I remember the doctor asking me what I wanted out of life. I told him that children were important to us."

Although one of Sally's ovaries was saved, the couple were encouraged to start fertility treatment.

"We'd waited patiently for so long, I was getting desperate," said Sally. "I tried to get pregnant every month and when it didn't work I was so disappointed.

"I'd cry. That's how much it bothered me.

"In the end, I'd just had enough. That's why the diagnosis made such a difference to my life. It meant we could start the right kind of treatment which could get us what we wanted.

"I was excited about the prospect of IVF."

Sally started preparing for her IVF cycle in August 2009. She still remembers the day she had her first injection and says it signalled the start of a brighter future.

"I was fully recovered from the operation to remove the cysts," said Sally. "I couldn't wait to get the IVF under way.

"I went to the clinic in Nottingham and the staff were so kind and helpful. I walked into the building and felt such positivity.

"I was made to feel like it was just a matter of time before I'd be expecting my baby.

"The treatment went really well and I was so happy to be at the clinic."

Fourteen good quality eggs were retrieved during Sally's treatment and of those eight were successfully fertilised and turned into embryos.

Three days later, six embryos were still viable and the pair prepared to have two of the better ones put back.

"They were both grade one," said Sally, "which was great news. You can't get a better embryo than that.

"I felt quite excited but at the same time I was nervous. We wanted this more than anything in the world and this was our chance to do it."

Two weeks later, the pair received the news they had been desperate to hear.

"I'd been at home, putting my feet up when the phone rang," said Sally.

"I'd done everything the clinic told me.

"But the wait for news had felt like the longest fortnight of our lives.

"I could hardly believe what I was hearing. "You're pregnant," said the voice on the other end of the phone.

"We were absolutely delighted."

A routine scan at the clinic confirmed a double delight for the couple, twins.

"When the lady doing the procedure asked if we'd ever discussed the possibility of having twins, I knew exactly what she was trying to say.

"They she confirmed what she'd seen and revealed that we were having two.

"Of course it was huge shock but at the same time we were really pleased."

Sally's husband, Nick, who had been at his wife's side throughout every stage of her treatment, was equally delighted. He said: "We were going to double our family overnight, that's all I could think. We were going from being just the two of us to being a family of four.

"We were so pleased. And having a boy and a girl couldn't have been more perfect. It still feel strange to say 'my son' or 'my daughter' but it's lovely."

Sally's pregnancy went by without any cause for concern. Then, 35 weeks into her pregnancy, she went into natural labour.

"I had to have a Caesarian because Tom was breach but I knew that already. I went into hospital at about 8am and I had them four hours later.

"I remember walking down to theatre at 11.15am and thinking to myself 'I'm going to have these babies today'.

"It was so surreal and absolutely amazing. What really shocked us was just how small they were.

"All the clothes we'd bought didn't fit and the nappies we had just hung off them.

"I had to send Nick to the shops to buy some smaller clothes for them."

Three months later and Sally and Nick are still loving parenthood. They are sleep-deprived, do not have a minute to themselves, and have only just mastered the art of leaving the house without forgetting a vital piece of baby equipment, but they say they would not swap their lives.

"We're a complete family," smiled Sally. "For years we always felt like something was missing and now we don't.

"Having children was so important to us and there were times when I thought I might never become a mum. We are so grateful for the support we received from the Royal Derby Hospital and from CARE Fertility.

"We can't thank everyone enough. We have two babies and it's just wonderful."

Maha Ragunath, consultant in reproductive medicine at CARE Fertility in Nottingham, said: "Endometriosis is a very distressing and painful condition which affects fertility.

"We are delighted to hear that Lily and Thomas have arrived and our best wishes go to all the family."