IVF journey has taught me to accept what fate offers with humbleness
Janka, a healthcare worker, had one dream: to become a mother to her child. However, she didn’t foresee how much courage, strength, determination, and humility this bold dream would require, nor how many times she would need to start all over. She didn’t give up and has been fighting ardently for ten years. Her dream came true; her son has celebrated his first birthday this July.
First steps on the path to happiness
Janka’s story begins very much like the stories of most couples who have failed in their attempts to start a family. After trying in vain to get pregnant for 1.5 years, she turned to her gynaecologist.
Basic gynaecological tests revealed no problems on her part. This led to suspicions that the problem might be on her partner’s side, so she decided to seek an assisted reproduction centre.
The first IVF cycle
After a series of tests, the first slap came with the semen analysis results: “I couldn’t even pronounce its name. The sample was low in sperm, and even those were useless. I told myself that it didn’t matter since a single sperm was enough to conceive. But the second sperm analysis rendered the final verdict: we were dealing with azoospermia,” Janka says. The first IVF treatment required surgical sperm retrieval. The doctors also retrieved five eggs as a result of the treatment. From these, just one embryo suitable for transfer after prolonged culture was conceived, which resulted in a biochemical pregnancy that unfortunately ended in spontaneous bleeding.
Failure could not discourage them
Janka and her partner locked arms and kept fighting. A second IVF followed, during which they opted for donor sperm, as the genetic tests of the partner’s semen sample were not optimistic. None of the four eggs retrieved was fertilised. The third IVF had a similar outcome, with nine embryos which stopped developing during the prolonged culture.
Failure followed by puzzling feelings
“At the time, as a 23-year-old woman, I never imagined that our attempts would take so many years. I thought they would take it out, fertilize it, implant it, and that would be all it takes. But the reality was very different. The point is to have at least something to implant at all… There is nothing worse than getting a call saying, unfortunately, none of the embryos survived the extended culture. Each time, different emotions took me over. After the first unsuccessful IVF, I said to myself, okay, not many couples succeed the first time; with the second unsuccessful IVF, I was mad at everything and everyone, and during the third IVF, I resigned myself to every possible outcome,” Janka says. It wasn’t easy for her to withstand so much misfortune, as she began each IVF treatment fully committed and believed it would work. What gave her the strength to carry on? The overwhelming desire to become a mother.
Opting for another centre didn´t bring any results either
Janka and her husband then decided to go to another centre, as it was closer to their workplace; thus, the treatment became less challenging to manage regarding time allocation. They got involved in an embryo donation programme. The joy would come in the form of a positive HCG test and confirmed cardiac action at week 6; however, it ended abruptly when bleeding appeared. Janka was admitted to the hospital and suffered a dismal miscarriage at nine weeks.
Her dream finally became true at Gyncare
Janka reached out to the Gyncare centre due to a different treatment. This is where she met Dr Andrea Hladovcová back then and Dr Andrea Győriová at present, who took her under her wings. “I can remember her face clearly. She wished me good luck when she discharged me from the hospital. I couldn´t tell why, but I had a feeling that Gyncare would be our final destination,” Janka remarks. This reassuring feeling gave her strength to carry on with the treatment, even if it wasn´t a walk in the park. Treatment in the third centre didn´t go smoothly either. Janka went through two unsuccessful donor embryo transfers followed by a native cycle, which didn´t result in a pregnancy. “My world was falling apart. I must admit, when the doctor suggested a soft cycle, she believed in it more than I did. Of course, I agreed; I had no reason to hesitate.” Confesses Janka.
The tense situation was further aggravated by the Covid pandemic. Nevertheless, two eggs out of three got fertilized. The embryo cultivation took five more days of anxiety for Janka: “I feared another phone call announcing they were sorry, but…” However, the phone rang indeed, and the embryologist on the other end announced her the date of the transfer. Janka almost burst out in tears of joy.
True joy of pregnancy only manifested with the baby’s first moves
Janka could not wait 14 days after the transfer and took a pregnancy test on about the 5th day. She was not happy with the negative result, but out of obligation, she continued taking the medication until the HCG blood test. “I can still remember the phone call with the nurse announcing that my HCG test came back positive, and she congratulated me on my pregnancy. It was just after noon; she reached me while I was shopping. I don’t even know how I got home. I will never forget when Dr Hladovcová called me shortly after to tell me how happy she was. I have never experienced such an attitude, nor such genuine interest and joy from a doctor, and being a nurse myself, I know what I am talking about. – Janka adds.
HCG levels were rising, cardiac activity was confirmed, and everything went smoothly. Janka couldn’t believe it was finally happening, her joy mixed with fear. After all the setbacks, she was afraid to rejoice prematurely, but as the baby developed, she began to enjoy this unique time.
All’s well that ends well
Their son was born three days after the planned due date, weighing 4 230 grams and measuring 50 cm. It was an exciting experience for Janka, one she will remember for the rest of her life. “I couldn’t believe I was finally holding him in my arms, and he was mine. He is everything to me – the baby I’ve been waiting so long for, a miracle come true thanks to the Gyncare centre. He celebrated his first birthday on 15 July. He is restless, always smiling and coming up with something all day long,” Janka says happily.
Dr Győriová remembers her patient very well. “I think of her often. She is one of the examples of not giving up in the face of failure. Not all patients are lucky enough to get pregnant on their first embryo transfer. For some, the process is longer and more challenging, but the joy of a positive pregnancy test and then the first ultrasound scan to confirm the heartbeat is all the greater. I am incredibly grateful that we continued to have faith in our success, didn’t give up and had the chance for such great joy.”
For Janka, the diverse experience of artificial fertilization is a thing of the past. What message would she send to couples in similar shoes? “Don’t wait too long. The fact that we dealt with our problem early on saved us. And never give up if you want to have a baby.”
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