Esperanza tells us her story: «Being a single mum is hard, but I wouldn’t change it for anything and I’d do it all over again».
Today we have a new patient testimony for you from our Real Stories section.
Esperanza, a single mother by choice
She tells us how she made one of the best decisions of her life: to become a single mum. Although not everything was always rosy, but rather an obstacle course from which she emerged victorious, today she holds her little girl in her arms and can tell us her story.
Thank you so much, Esperanza. We hope that your testimony will encourage and inspire other women who also hope to make their dreams of parenthood come true.
Here’s your story!
Hi. My name’s Esperanza and this is my story.
I always wanted to be a young mum because I love kids. Seeing that the years were passing by and that I hadn’t found a partner to start a family with, I began thinking about becoming a single mother.
Yes, a single mother.
It’s crazy, as many people might think, or they think: how are you going to raise a baby on your own?
I started looking around and asking people who had undergone assisted reproduction treatment, and that’s how I found a friend who became a mom thanks to Centro Gutenberg, and she told me about Dr. Flores.
I was already determined to start treatment and my mother supported me.
But life happened, I met someone and we started a relationship. I got pregnant twice, but both times ended in miscarriage.
Our relationship didn’t end up working out, and after a while I started thinking about becoming a single mother again. But this time I was much more afraid after the miscarriages I had suffered.
The big day arrived: it was my first fertility appointment with Dr. Flores, where the whole process was explained to me and I told him my story. A few weeks later I started the diagnostic testing and treatment.
I was scared and excited at the same time because I was closer to making my dreams come true. All the tests went well and I started my first cycle of artificial insemination, which is what the doctor recommended for me. I was 37 years old.
The insemination didn’t work and we started another cycle that didn’t work either. During an appointment with Dr. Flores I told him I did not want to do a third cycle of insemination, and that I wanted to go on to the next treatment instead: in vitro fertilisation.
For me it was all new, and the injections in my stomach scared me, but I would do anything to hold my baby girl in my arms. There were days of injections, pain in my ovaries, ultrasound check-ups and a lot of swelling… But it was worth it, all of it, to have my baby girl in my arms.
The day of the egg collection arrived, and I was more afraid than ever. When I woke up after the procedure they told me that everything went wonderfully, and that they had taken 12 eggs. They said they would call me the next day to let me know how many eggs had fertilised, and again over the coming days to let me know how the embryos were developing.
I was waiting for that call ‘like rain in May’. The phone rang, and I stuttered as I asked my questions. They told me that the embryos were excellent quality, set the day and time for my embryo transfer and gave me the steps I had to follow.
Each day I was closer to my dream, but more and more afraid as the moment drew closer. I was so scared that I would miscarry again.
I underwent my first transfer of two «A» quality embryos after speaking with Dr. Flores. He recommended only one embryo, but I was set on a double-embryo transfer to have greater chances. The doctor respected my decision, although he did not support it (says Esperanza between laughs during the interview), and then I stayed home for three days just resting. I didn’t make it to the day of the beta-hcg analysis because I started spotting before it. I took the pregnancy test and it was another negative.
I went back to the doctor’s office and he asked me what I wanted to do. I told him I wanted to try again.
The day of my second embryo transfer arrived.
This time I listened to the doctor and they transferred one single embryo. I was the same or even more nervous than the first time. I got home and laid down on the sofa, thinking that this time would be the one.
The next day I went to the beach – I didn’t stay home resting like after the first transfer. I also went to visit Mar Menor for 4 days.
Two days before my pregnancy test I spotted again, and I called my mother in tears saying that it had failed again.
The day of the test arrived, but I was still traveling when they called me from the clinic asking me about my results. I told them that I had not done it yet, that I was traveling and that I would do it when I got home later that night.
They said to wait and do it the next morning, so that’s what I did. And to my surprise? Within less than a second… «I saw my two lines!»
After such a long time I finally managed to get pregnant.
I had been thinking of stopping treatment if I had tested negative again, because emotionally I couldn’t take it anymore. I wanted to take a year off. But my fight paid off, and I got my little baby.
Did you like the story? Do you also want to be a single mother but you have many doubts? Click on this link to find out which treatment is the most suitable for you, we will be happy to help you and accompany you on this beautiful journey.