My husband and I had been together for nine years when began our fertility journey. We had known from the beginning of our relationship that we both wanted to start a family ‘someday’, but we were at the point in our lives where we just enjoyed our work life and spending time together. We weren’t in a rush.
When we were ready to start our family we attempted it naturally, but after four months without luck I went to the GP to have my hormone levels checked. Although the results came back completely normal, I decided to book an appointment with Guy Gudex, a fertility doctor at Repromed to be thorough. Guy had been my gynaecologist for 10 years and I trusted his experience and also liked his relaxed, easy going nature.
Guy booked a repeat laparoscopy (surgical procedure to look internally) to check there weren’t any issues. I had some lesions on one fallopian tube and on one ovary that were removed, but it wasn’t enough to explain why we were struggling to conceive. We were told to give it some time, so we decided to wait for four months and went overseas for a change of scenery on holiday.
When we returned to New Zealand, we met with Guy and began to discuss Intrauterine Insemination (IUI). I was incredibly hopeful for the treatment, but when the results of this treatment came, I wasn’t pregnant. I was devastated, I hadn’t prepared for this result.
I missed out on the second round of IUI as I had ovulated early, and we were unsuccessful with the third as well. I was feeling a little stressed and upset about how things were going so I booked in a chat with Lani, a counsellor at Repromed. She was amazing, helping me to process my options around what to do next.
We went on holiday and during that trip, we decided that it was now time to move straight on to IVF, we didn’t want to waste any more time. I began to let myself feel excited about our chances of getting pregnant through IVF. To be honest, at times I had felt so disappointed with my body, that I hadn’t been able to get pregnant without help. It really took a toll on my self-esteem and I had such mixed emotions. I wished I was able to conceive naturally, and I felt as though it must be my body at fault.
My husband continued to be incredibly supportive and reassured me that we just needed help to get our egg and sperm together and that it would work out in the end.
We decided not to go through the process for public funding as we wanted to start as soon as possible. The team at Repromed were amazing at explaining everything about the IVF process. I appreciated how straight up and honest they were about it – it made such a difference going into it with realistic expectations.
We went through the standard IVF process and although we had five healthy eggs, I was hoping for more. A couple of eggs fertilised and we waited until day three when the best-looking embryo was inserted. The days went so slowly, and I was constantly looking for any signs that hinted as to whether or not I was pregnant. I started spotting before I knew for definite that I wasn’t pregnant.
Of course I was devastated but I chose to focus on the positives of how far we had come, and the fact that we had successfully made a healthy embryo! The nurses from Repromed were incredible with supporting me and answered every single question I texted, emailed or rang them with; they never made me feel like a problem patient!
After what turned out to be an unsuccessful first transfer, I booked in to see Guy at Repromed again and he suggested that we try back-to-back rounds of IVF, but this time we would increase the dosage of hormones. I felt nervous about diving straight back in again and was still grieving the previous failed attempt, but we decided to go for it.
I was fine with the increased dose and learned how to schedule my injections at specific times and my husband was really involved in this process. I even had to inject myself at a concert one night; we found an ambulance and asked if we could use it for privacy! Our friends were with us and we joked about how funny it would be if I got pregnant because of this random night in the ambo. Turns out I did!
During this second round of IVF I had seven eggs fertilised, and had a ‘day five’ embryo inserted.
And then it was the waiting game. I remember it was a Sunday night and I was having back pain and spotting and was thinking it was all over again. I did a pregnancy test just in case, even though it was late at night it came back positive! I was in shock, but needed to wait for the blood tests. Finally, Tuesday came around for the official tests, and my pregnancy was confirmed. It was such a relief!
Looking back, I was glad I started getting the ball rolling early. It meant that we had a really clear plan for the different eventualities and that helped me to keep focused on the ultimate outcome. It’s amazing to have this tiny baby in my arms today, he’s been well worth the wait.
At Repromed we provide highly personalised care for all. We are based in Auckland and offer both public and private treatments. If you’re a new client, you can book a free 15 minute phone consultation with a fertility doctor. Take the first step today.
Individual results may vary depending on your personal circumstances. With thanks to our generous client for sharing their personal story.
