2nd time to the hospital (Oct '20)

I'd love to tell you that in September 2013 (after 2 failed attempts in the Netherlands) we went to Istanbul through Human First for an ICSI treatment. And believe it or not, after 2 blastocysts were transferred, I was pregnant. I gave birth to our beautiful daughter in June 2014. Then, 4 years later, we started a new process in Germany, with our daughter already in school by then, we figured it would be easy. Unfortunately that turned out to disappoint us quite a bit. Especially after the waiting list, the result, and also the communication, we regretted not going straight back to Human First. Once I got back in touch with Evren, we could be helped right away again.

We left during the autumn break of 2020. Beforehand I'd had 2 ultrasounds in the Netherlands, and after consulting with Dr. Cem Demirel we could start the medication. Evren had put together a really clear medication schedule, and on Friday October 2, 2020, I gave myself my 1st injection. It helped that we'd already started the hormone stimulation at home so we only had to stay in Turkey for 10 days. On Friday October 9 we flew from Schiphol. The flight went fine, everyone wore a mask properly and followed the rules. We stayed at the Marriott hotel, which is walking distance from the hospital. We mostly hung out by the pool, ate at nice little restaurants nearby, and stayed in our room, where we relaxed with a good book and Netflix, among other things. Despite these strange times, we still had a really relaxed, easygoing vacation feeling.

In Turkey they're very strict with the measures. Masks and hand gel are within reach everywhere, everywhere you go inside, your temperature is taken, with a wrist or forehead scan. Right on the morning after arrival, we had an appointment at the hospital at 10:00 where an ultrasound was done, a Covid test taken, and blood drawn. We'd chosen to have a host, since that had worked out really well for us in 2013 too. Hatice came along to every appointment to translate and give us thorough information. Contact with Evren during the trip was also really nice. A sweet "good luck" message and always available for questions. Our daughter and my husband also came along to every appointment, which at the moment often isn't allowed in the Netherlands. The hospital staff still mostly consisted of the same team as in 2013, and we were welcomed so warmly again. Dr. Cem Demirel is such a wonderful, skilled doctor. For us he's really become a miracle doctor by now. I had more than 25 eggs so we had to watch out for overstimulation.

Dr. Cem Demirel decided to do the retrieval right away on Monday morning. That produced 13 eggs. After a light anesthesia and breakfast, we were already back outside after 2 hours. After my husband had submitted his sperm, it was a matter of waiting. Tuesday, the next day, we got the good news that 10 eggs had fertilized. The transfer took place on Saturday. On the day of the transfer we heard that in the end 4 strong blastocysts remained. We transferred 2 of them again. Since I'm 35, that could increase the chances of success. 1 of the embryos was top quality and the 2nd slightly less so.

The next day, Sunday October 18, we already flew back home. On October 27 we could test. And the result is positive. In November we had an early ultrasound to check whether it was 1 or 2. And yes... it worked again with Human First. We're expecting our baby in July 2021. I really recommend it to everyone! The technology and science are much further along in Turkey than in the Netherlands and Germany. We're the living proof of that. Don't let Corona hold back your wish. After all, the trip you make is a medical trip. Good luck...

This story was translated from Dutch by our team. Read the original Dutch version →