The 5-Year IVF Journey of a Couple in Their Late 30s

This is an IVF story told from a more male perspective. To begin with the conclusion—our baby boy is now almost six months old, perfectly healthy, and growing slightly above average on the growth chart. My wife and I feel incredibly fortunate that, after five years of trying, we finally have our own little miracle.

For a long time, we carried a kind of PTSD from repeated failures and couldn’t fully believe we had a child. Even after nearly half a year, it’s only now that I feel ready to share our story.

More and more of our friends—some even quite young—have started egg freezing or IVF. I hope our experience can offer encouragement to those still on the journey. This path is extremely tough, but in my view, the setbacks encountered during IVF help couples mature and give them time to prepare for welcoming a new life. If you stick with it, the outcome will be joyful. Raising a child is both painful and fulfilling.

Back to the beginning: when searching for a fertility center, we considered several clinics in Taipei.
We looked at a hospital on Bade Road, a very well-known clinic near Da’an MRT station with long waiting times, another reputable one near Nanjing Fuxing, and finally chose Huayu.

Here’s why we chose Huayu:

Pros:

Dr. Ming-Yi Hsu, our attending physician, is a key advocate of Taiwan’s IVF subsidy program and trained within the TMU medical system. From our first meeting, he made us feel safe. He spoke gently, listened patiently, and answered even our “silly” questions. IVF inevitably involves failures, and Dr. Hsu’s empathy made us feel respected. My wife says that sometimes choosing a doctor is about intuition—and this felt right.

The waiting area is comfortable and appointments are spaced well. The longest we ever waited was about an hour. For working professionals, managing time is important.

The doctor and nurses were very thorough in reminding us about injection and medication schedules. Unfortunately, all the instructions were on paper, so we had to constantly remind each other or risk missing something.

Parking nearby is easy, and there are plenty of good food options. IVF is a long, exhausting journey, and being able to enjoy a nice meal after appointments really helped lift our spirits.

Cons:

The price isn’t low, but Dr. Hsu goes all-in with medications and progesterone support. Looking back, it’s clear that everything was aimed at achieving the best outcome. Naturally, the overall bill was a bit higher.

There is no mobile app to view previous appointments or ultrasound records.

Back to the IVF journey itself

I remember that after my wife resigned from her job to rest for six months, she underwent her first egg retrieval and got 13 eggs. Only 5 made it to PGS testing. We transferred 2 embryos, but neither implanted successfully.

After the failure, we discussed with Dr. Hsu whether we should try an endometrial receptivity test (I forget the technical name). He said it likely wouldn’t be meaningful and would add physical burden to my wife, so he advised against it.

After discussion, we decided to take a year off to recover and prepare. My wife and I made an effort to be more active outdoors and did more aerobic exercise to boost our immunity. We also began taking traditional Chinese medicine—even though it was expensive—to help strengthen her body.

During the second cycle, she retrieved 24 eggs—nearly double the first time. That’s when I really started to believe in the power of Eastern medicine. Of course, my wife worked very hard to prepare herself physically.

In this final round, 12 embryos made it through PGS. We selected the top 3 embryos based on visible grading, and all were suitable for transfer. The last transfer succeeded on the first try. After three months, we transferred to Ho-Hsin OB/GYN for prenatal care and delivery. That’s how we ended up with our adorable baby boy.

One last thing I want to say

The steps described above are just a summary. In reality, each step often took several weeks to complete. My wife and I spent five full years on this IVF journey. The one who suffered most was not me, but my wife—physically and emotionally.

Now, with Dr. Hsu’s help, we’re blessed with the most precious little one. I hope this short story gives hope to anyone still trying. Honestly, every time I see our baby smile, I know it was all worth it.