We had our baby on the 17th attempt

Neslihan-Server Sabuncu – April 2007

Neslihan and Server Somuncu, who had been yearning for a baby for years, became parents after seventeen IVF attempts over fifteen years.»Having broken a record in trying to be parents, the Somuncu couple says, “We would have tried thirty times.” Here is their story

“We got married fifteen years ago.I was 21 years old and my husband, Server, was 27.I always wanted to be a mother.My husband and I decided to have a baby immediately after getting married.Since we could not get pregnant in the first six months, we decided to see a doctor.The tests revealed an infertility problem related to my husband.There was a genetic problem in the family.The elder brother of my husband also could only have a baby after a few IVF attempts.So, we searched treatment options.Since we could not find anything in Sinop in that time, we came to Istanbul.We spent the majority of our lives in Istanbul because of the treatments.We went from hospital to hospital.Doctors were recommending IVF…

WE HAD BECOME EXPERTS!

We made our first IVF attempt in 1994.The fourth attempt resulted in a pregnancy but we lost our baby ten days after birth.However, we did not give up, andfrom 1994 on we spent all of our holidays, work vacations and any other available days in IVF centers.We shuttled between Istanbul and Ankara.Despite a great number of injections and treatments, we always received the same answer in the end:“The results are negative.”Tears, despair and frustration abounded in our lives.However, neither my husband nor I intended to give up.We came to the seventeenth attempt.Some of the doctors considered it mad.By the seventeenthattempt, we had become almost experts in the field.We were following every new method and asking our doctors about them.We were now living under the control of doctors.Only the first attempt was insemination and all the remaining ones were microinjection.

WE WOULD HAVE TRIED 30 TIMES

Finally, we went to the German Hospital.Our doctor, Mr. Enver Kurt, was shocked when he heard that this was ourseventeenth attempt.We said, “This is the last time,” but we would have tried even thirty times if the seventeenth had failed.On May 13th – my birthday – we received the good news.It was the second time that we got such news.My husband and I hugged each other.We had strived so much and waited so long for this news.But I could not cry, fearing that something wrong might happen to my baby.We were very cautious throughout the pregnancy.What’s more, when we learned that we weren’t having a baby but babies, we felt as if our hearts would stop.It was not easy to wait for our twins and it was not an easy pregnancy.I faced the risk of miscarriage three times and I stayed in the hospital for the last two months.December 9th was the most meaningful day of our lives because our babies were born around 6 a.m. that day.A new door seemed to open before us with Eren and Elvin.A new life… Thank God, we are very happy.