OVA's Power Couple Series: Kat & Gabriel
At OVA, we believe the most powerful stories are the ones told with truth, tenderness, and grit. In our first edition of our Power Couple Series, we spotlight our very own co-founder Kat and her husband Gabriel - a duo whose love and resilience turned heartbreak into hope.
From navigating recurrent miscarriage to meeting their miracle baby Enya, theirs is a story of persistence, partnership, and deep emotional strength. It’s a journey that shaped the very soul of OVA - and one we are honoured to share.
Can you introduce yourselves?
KAT: I am Kat, one of the co-founders of OVA
GABRIEL: And I’m her husband Gabriel
Do you mind telling us a bit about your fertility journey?
KAT: Of course! After getting married and moving to Ireland, we knew we were ready to start trying for a family. Expecting it to take some time, I got my IUD out and we started trying straight away.
GABRIEL: To our delight, and huge surprise, we got pregnant the first month trying. I don’t think either of us were quite prepared – especially once your morning sickness set in.
KAT: No, we were shocked, and I felt like CRAP. Which is why when we went in for our first scan at 12 weeks, we were both incredibly heartbroken to find out there wasn’t a heartbeat. And when we got pregnant again the next cycle, I think we were prepared straightaway for bad news.
GABRIEL: We had a bit of hope, and when that pregnancy also ended in a loss, we fell apart a bit, didn’t we?
KAT: I certainly did! It definitely gave us pause… of course, pregnancy loss is never anyone's fault. But you and I were determined to do all we could to improve our chances of sustaining a healthy pregnancy.
What lifestyle changes did you make that you feel *actually* made a difference?
KAT: Danielle (OVA, co-founder) and Alison (Director of Nutrition) were full of incredible advice on some easy lifestyle changes we could make. Cut back the drinking, stop smoking completely (not even a cheeky cigarette on a night out), switch from my HIIT classes to pilates, start doing acupuncture for my stress… and keep eating a healthy diet, without a huge amount of processed food and lots and lots of colour.
GABRIEL: After a few months of this, I think we actually felt the best we ever had. Plus, how lucky were we that OVA had finally completed a full production run and we could be the guinea pigs, before starting to try again. I couldn’t believe how much my sperm parameters changed during this time.
KAT: Yeah, it really is funny how life works out like that sometimes. My cycle finally regulated and my luteal phase deficiency was gone. We were both sleeping better, felt so much less stress in general, and just had more energy than ever before. And once we did start trying again, we fell pregnant with Enya. Who we got to see hmmm… 10 times on ultrasounds before 12 weeks I think? Got to love the anxiety that comes with pregnancy after loss, huh?
GABRIEL: But she made it past the 12 week scan, and every one after that. And look at her now? She’s a wild one. Our little OVA baby.
