Advanced Age IVF: Never Give Up!

Such a proud and respectable feat!

We thank her for her side of the story, and we hope that it’ll inspire parents in similar positions.

❤️Hardships of an advanced maternal pregnancy

I got married at 38, and started preparing for pregnancy at 39. I want to thank Dr. Liu Chi Hong from the bottom of my heart for all the help and support he’d given me, and I hope my story here resonates with other people who are going through a similar journey….

My husband is often abroad on business trips, and we were desperately trying any and every possible old wives tale to conceive. Due to long durations of time apart with him flying to Shanghai, Hong Kong, Japan, and the rest of Asia, our time together is actually planned according to my ovulation dates. I distinctly remember there was this one time where a flight from Shanghai to Taipei was canceled due to a typhoon, yet it was the ideal window of opportunity during my cycle. My husband dived into studying the patterns of the typhoon and found a flight that circled around the typhoon back to Taipei. Unfortunately, we were still unsuccessful. ? Gradually, I started to become more and more discouraged and had so many questions, “Why do some people have it so easy? Or even get the choice to choose that they don’t want it? I just want my child, why is it so hard? Why…” Every cycle we expect, we fail, we cry, try for another month, see red, and be discouraged again. This was pretty much how I spent my months, and grew weary of the routine.

Once we’ve decided to do IVF, we actually did consult a lot of doctors first, but to someone who’s completely unaware of the process like me, it came as a shock. I saw the pile of documents on the table and my tears started to fall (I became a crybaby that year?). My friend also told me that who you choose as a doctor holds great significance. Good fate is needed for a good start. I remember it was Christmas Eve, someone mentioned Dr. Liu during a family reunion, and we decided to visit Dr. Liu immediately after the break. From that day on, Dr. Liu and his team patiently and kindly answered all my questions I had in my little notebook, one checkmark at a time. That week, I decided to undergo IVF treatment. I can’t wait anymore but also can’t afford to wait anymore. I was already 39 and was considered at an advanced maternal age.

Courage is just another word for determination while overcoming fear. I am so scared of needles, but for my child, I endured hundreds of injections. Only people who have gone through this understand this hardship. I often hear people say, “Isn’t doing IVF just needle injections? That’s nothing!” Yes, it is nothing compared to a lot of other treatments, but please try it for yourself before making assumptions. All the medications and injections cause major hormonal imbalance, including physical and emotional changes. We girls have to go through it all.

Dr. Liu had asked me during consultation, “What if we fail this time? You can start thinking about next steps or choices.” I said with determination, “We’ve thought of the treatment failing, but never have I thought about giving up.”

I have low and one-sided ovarian function only, advanced age, and hyperthyroidism. Dr. Liu reconsidered my medications numerous times. Finally, at a seemingly bad cycle, we successfully fertilized 7 eggs, transferred 2, and froze the rest. Luckily, we succeeded in the first round! We cannot thank NUWA enough for everything. 

Two years after my IVF treatment, I have my cutest miracle baby named Milly. Although she’s naughty at times, she’s still the center of my world.

I really hope that those who suffer from infertility won’t give up. Everyone in our family can’t thank Dr. Liu enough to give us the opportunity to welcome different life stages. I also wish nothing but the best to those who are trying to conceive under Dr. Liu's care. I'm thankful I started IVF as soon as possible.

Although I miss the times where I’m single and that child-free, carefree life, I can’t help but be appreciative of my little partner in life. My husband and I will continue to grow our family and be there for our kids!

We hope the next time we’re here, we’ll be on our way to having our second kid. Let’s go!