Anna, Instagram: @Aingeborg @Pyretnilsson
I was looking for a man to build a family with for most of my life. My plan was to take a decision at 38. I did not have any knowledge about my fertility nor about what impacts it. After having not met Mr. Right by the age of 38 I started with fertility treatment just before turning 39 and did 2 inseminations and 5 IVF attempts in Denmark.
I was told that everything looked fine already when starting with inseminations but after my first missed abortion my doctor recommended me to turn to Dr. Olga for egg donation. I was devistaded… but after the second missed abortion I attended a seminar and the hope of IVF with PGT-A (PGS) was lightended.
I did a last try in Denmark with a frozen embryo but had already decided that my last IVF attempt with own eggs should be at Olga’s clinic.
We did the egg retrieval in beginning of November exactly two years ago. I was in New York and got the message from Dr. Elena that one out of my 8 eggs has turned into a good looking blastocyst.Though, I was devastated because I knew that my statistical chances that embryo had the right amount of chromosomes was very very low: it is one in five at the age of 40.
In the meantime awaiting the answer from the PGT-A, I drank champagne with one of my best friends and selected an egg donor. I was determined: I was going to be a mother and I was going to St Pete in January to have an embryo transfer no matter if it was my own egg or a donated egg.
Of course it was a tough process and I cried in sorrow while thinking that my family’s genes would not be a part of my child. But the tears were not needed. My coordinator Alla turned back to me with the fantastic news that the embryo was normal for 23 chromosomes!
Before the embryo transfer I was informed about the plan-B. I thought - I already have it ready — egg donation, but the O.L.G.A. clinic was talking about a plan-B for medication to use if I started to bleed in eraly pregnancy and had a risk of miscarriage. And I did start to blead and was nearly sure that I got a third miscarriage but the nurses at O.L.G.A. clinic convinced me to continue to stay in bed, take the medicine and have trust. After the first bleeding I had two others but at that time I did not worry. I was in safe hands and I knew that I had checked embryo with normal amount of chromosomes.
To know that I carry a healthy embryo was to me a very important thing, that made me stop worrying and having a very positive pregnancy.
The support from Dr. Elena, Dr. Olga, my coordinator Alla and nurses was very convincing and positive.
If you are about to do IVF abroad/privately in Sweden, my recommendation is to go directly to O.L.G.A. Clinic for IVF with your own eggs with PGT-A (PGS). By O.L.G.A. you get individualized stimulation for better egg quality and clear understanding of your embryo situation. You will know that you have got an embryo transferred with normal amount of chromosomes and hence you have much much lower risk of miscarrage.
Some last recommendations and learnings from Anna:
- Trying to get pregnant is a very emotional activity. Tell people around you so they know what you are going through. Especially your boss! My boss forced me to stay at home a week after my first bleeding even if I was ok :-)
- The medical treatment with O.L.G.A. Clinic is much more thorough than in e.g. Denmark but my understanding is that they know exactly what they are doing. You will learn to do the injections and laugh at it.
- I was afraid of anaesthesia during egg retrieval but it is very light and I was fully awake after 30 min.
- St. Petersburg and Russia can seem far away and scary. It is a beautiful city and people are very friendly and Olga and her team know exactly what they are doing and take very good care of you.
Comments are closed.