From Despair to Joy for New Mother at Acıbadem Türkiye

When she was told that a premature menopause risk might deprive her of her eggs, Emma was devastated. She had a family history of early menopause and physicians had measured her ovarian reserve as very low. Emma was 27 and married for a year. The couple dreamed of having a child in the coming years, but at the time, they needed to make a critical decision; they could either try to conceive naturally, they could immediately apply IVF treatment in London, or Emma’s eggs could be collected and frozen for use in the future. Freezing seemed to make sense, but a quick search online revealed that it was an extraordinarily expensive service in the UK.  

Egg Freezing at Acıbadem

The couple had been in İstanbul for vacation two years before this unexpected scenario and they had experienced the world-class healthcare services of Acıbadem hospital. During the trip, Emma’s reflux exacerbated, and they applied to Acıbadem Hospital’s emergency department. When she was in the Acıbadem hospital, she was deeply impressed in terms of doctors’ expertise, nurses, its modern design, etc. Moreover, the hospital had more affordable prices when compared to the UK. She came to the conclusion that it was possible to receive high-quality medical services with affordable prices at Acıbadem Türkiye. “I called Acıbadem and asked if it was possible to freeze eggs. They informed me very clearly and shared the cost. At Acıbadem, the average cost of having eggs collected and frozen, and medication was almost one-quarter of any IVF clinic in London. Storage costs are also sensible and affordable at Acıbadem. We decided to go for Acıbadem and freeze my eggs there,” says Emma. Eventually, they attended Acıbadem and a reproductive medicine and infertility expert measured Emma’s ovarian reserve. It was very low. She had a family history of early menopause. Physicians immediately suggested collecting her eggs and freezing them. With the couple’s approval, the process was commenced.

Professor Cem Demirel has an extensive experience in reproductive medicine and infertility. He deals with all kinds of infertility problems, and he performs all kinds of assisted reproductive procedures at Acıbadem, ranging from IVF, insemination, ICSI, testicular sperm extraction, to preimplantation genetic diagnosis with his team. The team carries out about 2000 IVF cycles per year.

“A little bit of hope was all I wanted at that moment,” says Emma. “Professor Cem Demirel assured that it was possible to use these eggs in the future whenever I was willing and ready to have a baby. Of course, I’m aware that strong promises cannot be made at such cases, but that was the positivity I was looking for. We got back to London with high hopes regarding our future,” Emma keeps on.

Becoming a Mother Thanks to Frozen Eggs

As doctors said, Emma entered menopause when she was just 30. Two years later in August 2022, they visited Acıbadem Ataşehir Hospital. Emma and her husband decided to move forward with IVF and attempt to have a baby with Professor Cem Demirel’s assistance. The professor explained that there was a higher chance of successful pregnancy and birth if the frozen eggs were younger. This was good news to Emma. Because she was 32 now, but her eggs were frozen when she was only 27. “Emma came back to me with her husband asked if they could use the eggs that we had frozen years ago? I said this is why we have frozen them,” says Cem Demirel. The IVF team used the frozen eggs and fertilized them with her husband’s sperm. The embryo was transferred back into her uterus. After a fortnight, Emma received the call she was waiting for. She was pregnant! After a healthy pregnancy, their lovely girl Allison was born in April 2023.  

“We owe Acıbadem hospital so much for the joy she has brought us. Not only did I receive hope and encouragement at Acıbadem, but also sophisticated medical care that paved the ground for a miracle. I am eternally grateful to Prof. Cem Demirel, his team, and all Acıbadem staff. Last but not least, I want to tell younger women to consider freezing their eggs rather than wait. Do it now, don’t wait,” says Emma.