REACHING double digits is a big enough milestone for any child, but for one family it marks a decade since their dream came true.

Today twins Ilia and Isabella Milkovic will be 10 years old after their parents Tina and Joe were the first British couple to have twins via a pioneering drug-free treatment.

The couple from Jericho had been trying for a baby for more than a year after Mrs Milkovic had been diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (POS) in her 20s, which can affect ovulation.

They then sought help from the Oxford Fertility Unit, where Tim Child made their dream of becoming parents possible after suggesting IVM - a treatment that had never been tried before.

Mrs Milkovic, a project analyst, said: "Today is a very special day for our family.

"For Joe and I having children, like a lot of couples, was an important milestone for us and because of the hurdle that was put in front of us we had to look at other options in order to have a family.

"Now of course we cannot imagine our life without them, we cannot begin to thank Oxford Fertility enough for all they have given us.

"They are a complete joy, they are double the trouble but twice the fun."

IVM is a simpler, safer and cheaper alternative to IVF which does not require the fertility drugs that cost up to £1,500. It also reduces the dangerous side effects of IVF, including the risk of fatalities.

The use of fertility drugs is avoided with IVM by collecting eggs from the ovaries before they mature. They are then grown in a laboratory for one to two days before being fertilised and inserted into the womb.

Medical director of the clinic Mr Child said: "IVM works differently from IVF in that the eggs are collected from the ovaries when they are still immature.

"It really is an incredible process and I’m so glad that Tina and Joe were willing to give it a try because now people across the country and world are able to have babies via this method."

Ilias was born one minute before his sister came along on October 17, 2007.

Ten years since their birth, Mrs Milkovic said the twins' have developed their own very different personalities.

Ilias now attends Magdalen College School and is completely devoted to sport and Isabella, who attends the junior school at Oxford High, has discovered her artistic side.

She added: "Ilias is very sporty, he absolutely loves sport, especially football.

"But he also likes trying out new sports like rugby and cricket - pretty much everything.

"Isabella is very artistic and she really enjoys singing.

"Now they are at that age where their own personalities are shining through, which is just a complete joy to see."

Mrs Milkovic also wants other parents and mothers-to-be to know that there are more options out there in order to be able to have a child.

She added: "I had a really good pregnancy and carried the twins to full term.

"And we were so fortunate that the first cycle worked for us - it was just incredible.

"When you are young and you get that diagnosis you don't really think about the future.

"So I would urge other families that were in our situation to really explore other options to IVF."

Oxford Fertility has announced it will be extending the choice of treatment with low or no fertility drugs.

It will be introducing natural and modified natural IVF. Natural IVF works with a woman’s natural cycle to collect and fertilise the egg produced naturally in a month.

Modified natural IVF uses very low doses of fertility drugs for a couple of days, to help in the collection of a naturally produced egg.

For more information about the clinic visit: oxfordfertility.co.uk