When Trust and Preparation Lead to Success: The Story of Tuğba Hanım and Haluk Bey
Every story is unique, but it's especially inspiring when the collaborative efforts of a doctor and a patient, built on trust, lead to success. Today, I want to share one such story. It's the story of a couple who came to me having almost lost hope, but not their willingness to work. In this article, I will share how our joint efforts, based on trust and meticulous preparation, helped them navigate the difficult path to parenthood. We will explore why a healthy lifestyle is so important, how we handled an endometriosis diagnosis, and how faith in the outcome became the main factor in our success.
When Hope Was Almost Lost
Tuğba Hanım and Haluk Bey came to me after a long and exhausting journey to parenthood. They had endured years of unsuccessful treatments and several failed IVF attempts, which, of course, took a heavy toll on their morale. Despite their fatigue and disappointment, at our first meeting, I saw an unextinguished hope and a readiness to go all the way. At that first appointment, I told them that we would work together calmly and without rushing. I explained that this approach, where we take our time and build a solid foundation, would help us increase their chances of achieving the desired outcome.
The Foundation of Success: A healthy body
My main principle is that a healthy body is one of the most reliable foundations for a successful pregnancy. Research from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM, 2023) shows that factors such as a normal Body Mass Index (BMI) and the absence of bad habits significantly increase the chances of a successful embryo transfer and birth of a child. For example, women with a normal BMI (20−25 kg/m2) have a higher chance of a healthy child birth than women who are underweight or overweight (ESHRE, 2010; ASRM, 2023). Smoking, in turn, can reduce the chances of a successful IVF pregnancy by approximately 30%, and women who smoke need higher doses of medication for ovarian stimulation.
Following this approach, Tuğba Hanım showed incredible willpower and discipline. She began to work on herself: she changed her diet, incorporated daily walks into her routine, and gradually reduced and then completely quit smoking. Her desire and sense of responsibility were key factors that distinguished this journey from their previous ones.
A Crucial Stage: Managing Endometriosis
In addition to general health recommendations, we had to face a serious medical challenge: endometriosis, which, as modern research shows, negatively affects IVF outcomes (Alshehre et al., 2021). The patient had an endometriotic cyst and lesions, which could have lowered her chances of success. Considering age, we decided not to proceed immediately with surgery, which could have reduced her ovarian reserve. Instead, we made a crucial decision: first, to freeze the embryos to preserve this valuable genetic material, and only then to perform the surgery. After the successful removal of the endometriosis lesions and her recovery, we transferred the embryo into the mother’s body under the most favorable conditions.
Sincerity and Trust as the Main Factor
I am deeply convinced that the success of our treatment is the result of not just medical procedures, but a comprehensive effort and complete trust from the patient. When Tuğba Hanım prepared her body, when she felt healthy and full of energy, her confidence grew. It was this inner mindset, combined with thorough medical preparation and the fact that the transfer was performed into a more prepared and healthy body, that led us to the result. Our shared victory is her personal victory over herself and her circumstances. The story of Tuğba and Haluk is a testament to the fact that when couples are contemplating parenthood, it's not only advanced technology and trust that are important, but also a readiness for a healthy lifestyle and comprehensive bodily preparation. This delicate, but crucial step can be decisive on the path to the desired goal.
For a personalized consultation, we invite you to schedule an appointment with Irina Ivanovna Ergül — an experienced specialist in reproductive medicine, member of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE), who recently attended the organization’s international conference in Paris.
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References
- Alshehre, S. M., Narice, B. F., Fenwick, M. A., & Metwally, M. (2021). The impact of endometrioma on in vitro fertilisation/intra-cytoplasmic injection IVF/ICSI reproductive outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics, 303(1), 3–16. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00404-020-05796-9
- ASRM. (2023). Smoking and Infertility. ASRM Fact Sheet. Retrieved from https://www.reproductivefacts.org/news-and-publications/fact-sheets-and-infographics/smoking-and-infertility/
- ESHRE Task Force on Ethics and Law. (2010). Lifestyle-related factors and access to medically assisted reproduction. Human Reproduction, 25(3), 578–583. https://doi.org/10.1093/humrep/dep458