Soon after getting married, my husband and I decide to start a family, at the time I was only 21. When I ceased taking the pill, my period never returned. After 6 months I flagged this with a GP who was willing to do some testing which confirmed PCOS. After a few cycles on Clomid which did not induce ovulation, we sought the help of the staff at Westmead Fertility Centre.
Finding out that I had PCOS and was not ovulating was very upsetting, but it was when I heard “IVF” that I really became anxious. It really seemed like the “end of the road” in my eyes – if this didn¹t work, that was it. Little did I know at the time how complex the IVF process really is and that there were multiple options that could be tried in order to become pregnant – first though, I had to overcome my fear of needles and blood tests!
Over the following year and a half, we had two cancelled cycles due to poor response and the ever so frustrating premature progesterone rise, two egg collections and four subsequent embryo transfers. It was on our fourth embryo transfer (which happened to be our first double), our cycle was successful and I fell pregnant with twin boys.
IVF can become such a gruelling experience. Some people like to keep the journey quiet, but I found it much easier to cope with most people around me knowing. Friends and family were able to support me through the tough times, people I worked with understood why I may have been a little upset at times and I didn¹t have to make up excuses as to why I would need to be late to work multiple times a week during my cycles, which really made me feel a sense of ease.
If there was any advice I would give to a couple starting their IVF journey, it would be to keep an open mind, the first cycle or two can often become a matter of trial and error in getting the medication dosages right for you. Also, it is OK to take a break. My previous transfer before the successful one was six months prior – we needed a break, so off we went for an overseas adventure.
We have now completed our family and couldn’t be happier.
Steph K
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