Three Children! Our Experience with Human First (June 2015)

Three times at Istanbul: pregnant twice: three children! Our experience with Human First

My husband and I have been trying for a child since 2008. After three years of tests, IUI attempts and a first ICSI attempt in the Netherlands, we decided to look for alternatives. Not because we were so unhappy with the treatment in the Netherlands, but more because we felt protocols were being followed too rigidly for our liking, ones that didn't really fit our individual situation.

Through a search online we found the Human First website. After an extensive phone conversation with the director of Human First, Evren, it became clear she was very well informed about the options there and the procedures. Still, we also wanted to know whether the hospital in Istanbul that Human First works with had the right accreditations. It turned out it did.

In October 2012 we went to Istanbul for the first time, for our second ICSI treatment through Human First. The hospital operates professionally and is open to the patient's own input, without ever giving the feeling they'd go along with irresponsible treatment. The support from the interpreter is also very pleasant, especially since the doctors do speak English, but the rest of the staff often doesn't. It's not that everything is different from the Netherlands — here too you can run into rotating doctors and long waits in the waiting room (often due to an emergency case). What really is different is that Dr. Cem is clearly, genuinely the one ultimately responsible for the treatment, and you actually see him regularly, whereas in the Netherlands you're often mostly dealing with doctors still in training.

Another advantage is that in a different environment you don't have to worry about work and other things you'd normally need to combine with the treatment process. There are also many options for pain management during the retrieval. In the end, unfortunately, the first treatment in Istanbul didn't succeed.

Still, we decided to do our last insured attempt in Istanbul again, because we trusted the team, and Dr. Cem in particular. They really looked closely at how the first treatments had gone and adjusted the treatment accordingly. At the end of 2012 we went to Istanbul again. Again a positive experience, and this time a positive result too! After exactly 40 weeks, I gave birth in September 2013 to a beautiful, healthy son.

Since we always wanted more than one child (although at a certain point we really didn't dare hope for it anymore), we went to Turkey again at the end of 2014. This time it worked in one go! I'm currently 15 weeks pregnant with our second and third child.

One last positive point I want to add is that Human First doesn't just arrange the trip and preparations perfectly: even afterwards, for questions (e.g. for necessary referrals), they're excellent to reach, friendly, and always arrange everything properly.

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