When you are looking for a pregnancy with IVF (In Vitro Fertilization), the chances of achieving your baby can increase up to 96% with a multi-cycle program with 4 fertilizations. Such was the case for Leslie who, even though she was diagnosed with endometriosis, was able to give birth to her baby girl Martina in her last cycle.
Read her story here, and if you're looking for your baby too, don't give up just yet! The science of reproductive health has come a long way, and there are multiple options for Assisted Reproductive Technologies treatments to help you realise your dream of becoming a mother, and that next attempt could be the one that leads you to your baby.
"Something in my heart told me that I had to go on, that I had to try again, that I had to make one last effort to give everything, to give my last breath. When you try for a pregnancy with IVF, after having done everything to become a mother, you are at the limit, your body, your emotions, everything, it is a test of life.
Today that I am on this side, now that I can see her and tell my baby how much I wait for her and how much we love her, I know that she is worth all that, she is worth everything, I would do it all again for you Martina!
My husband and I have been trying to have a baby for 3 years, and when we saw that we couldn't, we decided to seek help. I had endometriosis, and that made it difficult for his sperm to reach my egg, however, here the fertility specialists explained to us the possibilities, the treatment options and that, in our case, the best alternative to achieve our baby was a program with 4 In Vitro cycles.
We started with the preparation and everything necessary to do the treatment but, nothing happened, medicines, injections, visits and it didn't work, that's how our first IVF cycle went, then the second, then the third cycle, attempt after attempt and I just felt that everything was taking longer and longer, there was a moment when I thought that I simply wasn't ready to be a mother.
All my IVFs were different, when it didn't work, they checked me, the eggs they had taken from me, my husband's sperm, the embryos, the way they did things, they even asked us how we did the injections, we checked everything and then we changed something.
Every cycle they explained to me what was going on, how my body was reacting, they made adjustments to my medication, we tried different things and every attempt was different, now we do it like this, now we put you on this....
We had our fertility doctor, but different doctors came together to check everything, because there are different professionals, experts in everything, someone just to check everything with your embryos, someone to check the sperm, they checked everything and every new cycle was like a test.
They explained to me that they had to control absolutely everything, that they had to know the smallest things, to understand how my body was reacting during the whole cycle, then they would tell us what we would try in the next cycle and step by step what we should do.
I knew that, having had more than one IVF pregnancy attempt, the possibility of it not working, however small, is there, you know it, it's always there but... every day that goes by it becomes more difficult, it's as if the battery is running out, little by little.
And so we spent some time, I think, about a year on it, and maybe it may not seem like much, but when you are on this path, every second becomes so precious, especially with us women, you feel like you are against the clock. After a year we managed to have a positive pregnancy test... but it didn't work.
Three months after I found out I was pregnant I had a curettage. There are no words to describe how horrible it is, there simply aren't, they don't exist. And the thing is, you know that it can happen, you are somehow prepared, but it never stops being just as difficult, having lost a little person is perhaps the worst thing I have ever felt in my whole life.
This is when you get to a crucial point, I was so exhausted after going through those unsuccessful IVF pregnancy attempts, I was upset and very sad; but you have to keep going, you have to do it no matter what, I don't know how but you have to do it. And I did it, you do it because you know it's totally worth it and always keeping your goal in mind. I had to keep going, something told me that I didn't have to give up, I had to try until the last cycle.
We came to one last process, one last time and, honestly, I had nothing left to lose, I had left everything in this... and in that last one, it happened! I was pregnant again and of course I was overcome with fear, I was so scared, I felt so uncertain, what if I lose him again? But I did everything I could to make it work, I did it all over again, and I did it!
We waited until after she was 3 months old to tell the whole family our big news, we waited because we wanted to feel safe, we had been so excited before that we told everyone, and the worst happened, but I knew we had made it when I finally saw her on my ultrasound, when I could finally hear her heart beating, she was here and she was my baby girl!
I got pregnant during the pandemic, and that's why I believe that nothing is so bad, all the experiences we live through every day have a good side, I had the privilege of being able to work from home, and that helped me to have more and much better care, to be with her and dedicate myself to her wellbeing from those 9 months that we were one.
I had a very peaceful pregnancy, I went to the doctor every month to check that everything was going well, and it was wonderful to be able to see how he was growing, one day we saw his little feet, another his little hands, his little head.... Seeing the whole process and feeling how your baby is developing inside you, nothing in the world compares to that feeling so warm, so beautiful, so yours, the bond that you start to create that way is something unique.
The day Martina was born I felt such an intense emotion, I kept thinking: 'I finally made it! She's finally here'. My husband and I were so happy, our happiness didn't fit in the hospital!
Being a mum is an experience that I imagined but, what I thought never comes close to how amazing it really is, it's great to be a mum! Living your motherhood is unique and beautiful, it can be tiring, yes, but it is so worth it, don't give up! Never let your dream slip away, look for the Assisted Reproduction alternatives that are out there, fight, do it all, get to that last attempt at pregnancy with IVF and don't give up.
My baby girl is the most desired and awaited child in the world; it was not easy, but I knew I had to go on, to try to bring her with us, and today I can say: 'I would do it all over again for you, my love, Martina, because you are the best thing that has happened to me in this life'.
If you feel identified with this story, if you have also gone through one IVF pregnancy attempt, two or even more in any clinic, we want to tell you that there are still alternatives, and that practically all women who wish to become mothers can achieve it, but it is important that you go to a reproductive specialist, who can detect precisely what is the situation that has been preventing you from achieving it.
At Ingenes, we have an Initial program for all women who are completely sure that they want to live their motherhood and are willing to do everything to achieve it.
An assessment that focuses on identifying what is hindering your sleep; and drawing up a personalised treatment plan for you to have your baby, carried out by a multidisciplinary team of embryologists, andrologists, gynaecologists with a subspecialty in Reproductive Biology and psychotherapists, among others.
Come to us and schedule your Initial program, let us help you bring your baby home.
"My experience with Ingenes was very calming all because of the staff, they were welcoming and made you feel at ease with everything."
Ingenes McAllen, TX.
