The wish for a child...

Because for years our wish to have a child hadn't come true, we got in touch with our GP. We laid out our problem and she advised us to get tested at one of the fertility centers in the country. After making what we thought was a suitable choice, we got in contact with the hospital.

The first appointment was made quickly. After a conversation with a doctor in training, the first tests began on me (the wife). The months went by, and from the results of the various tests it turned out the problem wasn't with me — "you're healthy" was the verdict.

The investigation moved on to my husband. My husband smokes, enjoys a drink, and is heavily built, so the ideal patient for the inquisitive, still-in-training medical staff.

After three-quarters of a year of testing on my husband, in and out of the hospital, the deciding word finally came out. It was down to my husband. Finally we knew where we stood. We were told that it was almost impossible to get pregnant "the normal way." The only option would be IVF fertilization, though actually that would offer little benefit either, and we should think about ICSI instead. By then I'd already read a thing or two on the internet, so I knew what kind of procedure this would be.

The follow-up question I asked the doctor was how fast, and how would we go about it — after all, we'd already been at this for a year. The doctor's advice was that my husband should first start living healthier — lose 50 kg, stop smoking, etc. — and then we should come back in six months to look further into it. 50 kg in half a year, I asked... "well, 35 kg is fine too."

Disappointed, we left the hospital — a whole year of testing, and then arriving at the conclusion that my husband is too heavy. Well, I'm quite sure that would have been noticed a year earlier too. We were so disappointed in the hospital's medical staff that we immediately started wondering how this could be — in the very first conversation we'd been told that smoking would harm sperm quality, but being overweight apparently didn't need to be a problem (for wanting a child)... The question that immediately came up for us was, can't we go somewhere else, a private clinic if need be — I'd once read something about Turkey... No, we weren't ready for that yet.

Three-quarters of a year later, with my husband having by then quit smoking and lost 12 kg — yes, it was all going agonizingly slowly — I came home and my husband told me he'd contacted Human First IVF. He'd gathered all kinds of information about an ICSI treatment in Turkey. He'd become so enthusiastic after the conversation with the lady from Human First that I had to immediately start emailing all the information. It was October, and jokingly we said to each other that January would suit us fine for going ahead with a treatment... not knowing that it really could happen in January. We were genuinely stunned.

We had to email our medical file (the relevant tests) to Human First, and then it would be discussed with the doctor in Turkey how to proceed. Requesting the file from our hospital took 2 months. After emailing everything to Human First, we were told that the doctor in Turkey saw no problem at all. It could begin. After letting our parents know, we set off for 17 days on a trip to Istanbul. The journey went smoothly, and once we arrived we were properly met by a hotel staff member. The hotel (an excellent mid-range hotel) is right in the middle of Istanbul's old center. This fantastic city left us with so many impressions that we almost forgot what we'd come for.

The next day our guide (Dutch-speaking) came to pick us up for our first trip to the clinic. The guide is really something I'd recommend — not just to accompany you to the clinic, since it's quite a journey through this busy city, but also to answer all your questions. Whether it's about the treatment, or giving you information about the city, or accompanying my husband to the dentist to fix his filling.

The guide comes every other day (in the beginning you go to the clinic every other day). Of course you can always call her too. We got along with her so well that we'd even go for a drink together after the visits — all very relaxed. The clinic, which has an excellent reputation, has its fertility department led by Dr. Cem. This doctor is so well known that people from all over Europe find their way to him. On arrival at the clinic we were very well received by the team. Very sweet, very caring. Right away I had an internal ultrasound done by Dr. Deniz. She and Dr. Cem are the doctors who handle the treatments. It turned out I had a cyst on one of my fallopian tubes, something that had never been checked in the Netherlands. I was immediately reassured and told this didn't need to be a problem for the treatment.

The cycle was started right away, and the medication needed to grow the eggs was arranged. The tests went smoothly and everything looked good. "Fortunately" I had no discomfort anywhere, and the days flew by. After 11 days the pickup (egg retrieval) was done. In total there were 10 eggs that could be fertilized. Luckily the pickup was done under local anesthesia and I felt almost nothing. After the procedure I was brought back to my (private) room to rest. There I got a wonderful breakfast (I wasn't allowed to eat that morning before the pickup). Once the anesthesia had worn off, the three of us headed back to the hotel.

The transfer. The day before the transfer we got a call from our guide telling us that four fertilizations had taken place. That was of course fantastic news. Once at the clinic, the doctors decided to transfer 3 embryos back. After the transfer I could rest and recover nicely in the private room. That was it — I got some more information from the doctors and the guide, and a day later we flew back to Amsterdam. Now the exciting time began. Since we were going skiing a week later, I couldn't get a blood test done at the GP, but I bought a number of pregnancy tests, and at my husband's insistence, not just a few (he watches the TV show Kassa a little too often).

After 12 days it was finally time. And sure enough, 4 tests (at my husband's instruction) indicated I must be pregnant. I threw the skis straight back in the car and didn't leave the ski lodge again. We immediately called our guide in Turkey, since I had some blood loss, and she called the doctor right away, and it turned out to be nothing to worry about — this apparently happens fairly often. Back in the Netherlands I immediately made an appointment with the GP. She referred me straight to the hospital (a different hospital than the one we'd been to the first time). The first ultrasound was done now, oh how exciting... And to our great surprise the result came in... twins, non-identical. Amazing... What news.

I'm now 20 weeks pregnant and everything is going smoothly. We're so glad we took this step, we're truly so happy... My due date is October 17th. And as for my husband, he exercises, drinks less, and is losing weight...

Parents with a wish for a child...

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