Marian tells us her story, «we must keep going and not give up».
At URE Centro Gutenberg we know that sharing real stories from our patients is a huge motivator for those of you who are fighting for your dream. For this reason, today we bring you a new testimony from our real stories section. This time we are sharing the story of Marian, or as she is better known on social media, @buscandotedesdeel2007.
That’s right! As you have read, in 2007 her journey began, and little did she know it would last until 2021… Fourteen years of struggles and many tears, Marian, but you have proved that when you do not give up and fight until the end, dream end up coming true.
Thank you so very much! Testimonies like yours will surely help many women and couples in similar situations to move forward and not throw in the towel, as you say!
And now here’s your story 🙂
Tell us how you heard about URE Centro Gutenberg
We had heard about URE Gutenberg many years ago, even before we started trying to conceive. We had very good references and we know many Gutenberg babies.
After your first appointment with us, what made you choose URE Centro Gutenberg to become a mother?
When we first arrived to URE Gutenberg we already had a fairly heavy backpack full of papers from our previous treatments and miscarriages. We were in treatment with the Spanish Social Security Reproduction Unit and we had one last attempt there. I was about to throw in the towel but I didn’t want to give up without undergoing one last well-advised treatment.
We always said that if we had to do it privately we would go to Gutenberg. Your experience, team, laboratory and way of working helped us place our trust in you.
We decided to go to the first cost-free consultation with our entire pile of test results and treatment reports. We were seen by Dr. Sánchez and I loved that he was up front with us, as honesty is something we greatly value.
reproduction treatment
What type of fertility treatment did the medical team recommend in your case? Artificial Insemination? In Vitro Fertilisation?
Once he reviewed our history and took notes on everything, he very clearly explained the options that were available to us.
At that point I was 37, my husband was 38 and we had been dealing with 6 years of recurrent miscarriage, all very different cases, natural pregnancies and other pregnancies resulting from in vitro fertilisation treatment. I have PCOS with insulin resistance, and I also have type‑2 diabetes which I inherited from my family.
The outlook was not very good, but we had a chance. The prognosis was realistic, but at least we had a chance.
Dr. Sánchez told us there were two options in our case: one was egg donation, and the other was to stimulate my ovaries without the risk of ovarian hyper‑stimulation, culture the embryos to blastocyst stage and perform a Pre‑implantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD).
Explain to future moms what doubts you first had about receiving assisted reproduction treatment
Right then and there I asked him all the questions I had and he very kindly answered all of them. It is completely normal to have questions about egg donation treatment (click here to read about the most frequently asked questions about this type of treatment), and if you do PGD as well.
We agreed to speak again in a few weeks to see what decision we had made and how we were planning on proceeding. That was at the beginning of April 2019, and by the end of the month I found out that I was pregnant naturally. Unfortunately it was another miscarriage, and even more questions arose and got in the way of making a decision. The quality of my eggs caused me to question treatment using my own gametes as I had already had so many miscarriages.
I spent a few months thinking and considering the possibilities. I already knew that it was not going to be easy, but there was some hope.
So in September I made another appointment to tell him about our decision and to see when we could begin treatment.
After lots of thinking we decided I would undergo IVF and the PGD with my own eggs. I remember it perfectly: on October 26th I started taking the medication and on November 7th I went in for the egg collection procedure.
What fears did you have and how did you overcome them? How did you feel during treatment?
I had lots of fears, the biggest being the egg collection because in 2015 I had suffered from ovarian hyper‑stimulation. My other fear was to see how many eggs we were going to obtain and how many blastocysts we would be able to biopsy. And then of course if we would have any healthy embryos for transfer.
Those moments during IVF are loaded with stress, doubts and uncertainty. It is very important to trust in your medical team. This time I had organised a trip to London a few days after my egg collection so that the wait would be more bearable.
The egg retrieval was amazing and everything went great. Within a week I was on holiday in London pain‑free and feeling very happy. While there we received the call about the healthy blastocysts that had been vitrified for us, a moment we will never forget (we have photos of that moment).
Then for the embryo transfer we had to wait; just when we were going to start the endometrial preparation in January 2020 I found out that I was pregnant naturally again. However two weeks later I had again miscarried.
And just when that had happened, the pandemic started and everything was shut down. But in April when the clinic reopened we felt optimistic and wished to continue with our family planning project, even with everything as it was.
I met both Dr. Flores and Dr. Álvarez during treatment monitoring, and on May 27th, 2020 the embryo transfer of my Baby Frozen took place. They were moments full of nervousness and at the same time a lot of hope.
My first embryo transfer using a PGD blastocyst was successful and I had a fairly normal pregnancy considering everything I had been through. I was, however, closely monitored and given lots of extra medication due to my history. It was a long-awaited pregnancy during a pandemic, with lots of fears and some feelings of loneliness, but with a very happy ending.
On February 1st, 2021 I was finally able to hold my little rainbow baby in my arms, the result of much love and a lot of science. We will always be eternally grateful to the URE Gutenberg team for making our dream of being parents possible.
What advice would you give to other women and couples who are considering fertility treatment?
Having been in this world of infertility for so many years, and from my humble experience, I advise future moms to go to the first consultation, to learn about their options, to let themselves be advised and to take great care of and pamper themselves, both physically and mentally.
There are times when time is needed to heal wounds, or simply to make a decision. I needed it, especially to feel strong enough before embarking on a new treatment cycle.
Future parents should make sure to ask all the questions they have and to trust in the team that will accompany them on their journey.
Did you enjoy Marian’s story? Would you like to tell yours? We encourage you to do so! Leave us your details here and we’ll contact you.
