Our Little Turkish Miracle (July 2017)

After getting pregnant fairly easily and spontaneously with my first daughter in 2013, we wanted to try for a second child in 2016. Unfortunately, this went a lot less smoothly. Because I'd previously had surgery on my ovary, we were able to get into a Dutch hospital fairly quickly, where they did further testing. It turned out I had PCOS. I started taking Clomid. Unfortunately that didn't lead to a pregnancy. After that I switched to hormone injections and IUI. That didn't result in a pregnancy either. Finally we started IVF. After 2 cancelled attempts due to overstimulation, the third time went well. I had 14 eggs, of which 11 fertilized. The embryos were "top quality," the hospital told us. Unfortunately the first fresh transfer didn't result in a pregnancy. Nor did the 5 frozen embryos we later transferred.

Each disappointment was exhausting all over again. My husband and I had by then read a lot online and quickly discovered that the Netherlands has a rather conservative approach when it comes to IVF. Abroad, much more was possible. Eventually I ended up on the Human First website, and it appealed to me right away. I contacted Evren. She explained over the phone, very kindly and calmly, what it all involved and how things work in Istanbul. We had a good feeling about it right away. My husband and I decided to do it!

I could already start the hormones in the Netherlands and had my first ultrasounds there too, since our time in Istanbul (with a toddler) would then be a bit shorter. On day 10 of my cycle we flew to Istanbul. My mother came along too, so she could babysit our daughter during the hospital visits. At Istanbul airport we were met by a driver and taken to our beautiful hotel. It had every comfort. Because of this, despite the stress of the treatment, we still had a bit of a holiday feeling.

The day after arrival we had our first check-up at the hospital. We were picked up from the hotel by our hostess, Dayon — a wonderfully kind Dutch woman living in Istanbul. It was so nice how sweetly, yet professionally, she guided us. Once at the hospital, we met Dr. Cem Demirel, a very friendly man. He clearly explained where things stood. I had to continue the hormones for a few more days because the eggs weren't big enough yet. Three days later I was told the eggs were nearly mature and that I could inject the Ovitrelle that evening. Unlike our experience at the Dutch hospital, everything was explained calmly and clearly, and we were treated very kindly by the doctor and nurses. The retrieval took place a day and a half after the Ovitrelle injection.

Dayon came along again and reassured me. I was given light sedation for the retrieval, so I felt nothing at all. When I woke up, they told me right away that it had gone very well and that 10 eggs had been "harvested." Again the nursing staff treated me so kindly. After about an hour and a half I felt well enough to go home. The next day I heard that 6 eggs had fertilized and that they'd check again on day 3 whether they were good quality. That turned out to be the case on day 3, so a transfer could take place on day 5! We were super happy about that, since that's one of the big differences compared to treatment in the Netherlands.

On day 5 we went to the hospital feeling very tense, since of course we didn't know if they were still good quality or how many could be transferred. Dr. Cem came to tell us that all 6 embryos were top quality and that he honestly couldn't choose which ones to transfer. What great news!! Given our history, we were allowed to transfer 2. He gave us a good chance of success. We were overjoyed with this good news, and by then already so happy with our choice to do the treatment in Istanbul. The kindness and professionalism of the hospital staff, Dayon's warmth, the holiday feeling — altogether it was so much nicer and more relaxed than in the Netherlands.

10 days after the transfer I was allowed to do a pregnancy (blood) test at the hospital. And sure enough... I was pregnant!!! It had actually worked!! We were completely over the moon with joy. At 7 weeks pregnant I had an ultrasound done, and we saw that I was pregnant with 1 baby. Very early on, of course, but everything looked good. I'm now 25 weeks pregnant with a daughter! The pregnancy is going really well, and we can't wait to meet our little Turkish miracle in real life.

We'd really recommend everyone to take the step to Istanbul. It's so much kinder and more patient-focused there. If we ever want to try for a third child, we'll definitely go back to Istanbul through Human First. (We still have 4 excellent frozen embryos there, after all.)

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