Male infertility: the real story of a married couple and their difficult path to the long-awaited happiness
Oksana and Vitaly met 17 years ago, dated for six years, and then got married, already planning "little plus one" to their family in the nearest future. But life is unpredictable and in reality everything turned out differently — for 11 years this couple had been fighting for their happiness and finally succeeded.
Today, they are so happy that, without hiding or being embarrassed of rather intimate details of their lives, they share this story to inspire those people who dream of having children and sometimes lose faith in their happy ending.
Oksana, when did you start planning your pregnancy?
We were dating for quite a long time — for six years. In a meanwhile, many of our friends got married, had babies. And at some point, we realized we were the only ones who would come to friendly meetings without children. Therefore, we made a decision of having a baby as soon as possible, shortly after the wedding.
How did you find out about your problems and realize that you needed medical assistance?
A year after the wedding, we realized that something was wrong with us and it was about time to seek help from medical professionals. We did IVF three times and nothing happened. And then we came to the project, organized by our national broadcaster company STB, "One year after" and came to ISIDA clinic.
Vitaly, were you ready to do the donor program? A very brave decision for a man...
I really wanted a child, and what's the difference whose genes he have? The father is the one who nurses, who cares about the future of this child. And the fertilization process itself is not that important.
Oksana, how did you find out about your pregnancy?
Despite the fact that for 11 years we did not succeed in getting pregnant, despite three unsuccessful IVF attempts, this time we were absolutely sure of success. Probably, the confidence of our doctor and the entire clinic staff gave us this realization — this place didn't feel like a hospital, but more like a family where everyone wanted to help from the bottom of their hearts.
We were warned that in the first two weeks after IVF, there is no point of taking pregnancy test as the result may be false. Therefore, we waited patiently till the end of this period and went for our analysis. We did it at 8 o'clock in the morning, and when we entered the doctor’s office and I accidentally saw that my HCG level was over 300m I already knew my result was positive. The joy was overwhelming!
Vitaly, and what did you feel?
At that moment it seemed to me that I could lift up the entire ISIDA building in my arms, and then put it in place ... We waited for 11 years to hear this, so many doctors and clinics went by, we even tried alternative medicine. And this time — boom! And we are pregnant.
Oksana, how was your pregnancy flow?
I did not have any specific signs of pregnancy, therefore, to convince myself that I was pregnant, I did a test at home. I really wanted to see those two stripes. After some time we went to our first ultrasound, and saw out baby's heart beating on the screen. Two weeks later we went again. And the heart of our baby was already occupying half of the screen, roughly speaking.
Vitaly, do you remember this moment?
Yes, I do. But I remember much better the day when we learned that we would have a girl. We went to the ultrasound and for some reason I was sure that they would tell us: "You will have a son". And when they said we are having a girl, I could not believe it and asked the doctor to look again. I really wanted a daughter. And I couldn’t believe that all of my dreams came true at once: there’s a pregnancy and a daughter. I could not believe this full happiness...
What did you feel when you took the baby into the arms for the very first time?
The first thought was that I feel the same way as when my girl was inside of me. She also beats her knees, only it is no longer inside, but outside. And her eyes were so big! I could not believe that I finally, after so many years of waiting, became a mother. But that was also the moment I realized there is no longer just the two of us...
Oksana, what do you think became a guarantee of success in your case?
We wanted a child for so long, we believed so much that everything would work for us, it probably wouldn't happen otherwise. Everything turned out well in the end: we found a clinic where we received needed help. We found a doctor who convinced Vitaly to agree to manipulation, calmly and confidently sent us to get pregnant. Fate gave us wonderful obstetricians, an excellent anesthesiologist. We felt at ISIDA, like in a family circle. We were accepted, we were given treatment and we left this place absolutely happy.
What can you advise to those couples who, just like you, have been dreaming of children since the wedding day?
To believe that everything is possible. Do not despair, do not be afraid to take the first step — turn to fertility specialists, undergo a full examination, find the reason and start working on its treatment. If it fails the first time — well, it means that you need to do it again. You need to keep on looking for your clinic and your doctor. We have found ours. It means that this huge and happy chance is available for the others, too.
Contact us!
Phone: +380 (44) 455 88 14; (044) 490-95-24
Viber: +380 (67) 333 88 14
Skype: ISIDA International
Address: 65, Vatslava Gavela Blvd, Kyiv, Ukraine