New Hope for Parenthood: Vivien Shirin’s Fertility Journey in Turkey

At 34, Kaddour-Witt Vivien Shirin from Germany was facing a deeply personal challenge. After recovering from cancer and successfully completing extensive treatment, she was ready to think about the future and hoped to start a family. However, conceiving naturally did not happen as she had hoped.

Her path toward becoming a parent was complicated by her medical history. She had been through several treatments for fertility, such as IVF and ICSI, but had not carried a baby to term. With every failure, Vivien grew less certain about her journey. Willing to explore alternative methods, Vivien looked into medical treatment abroad. This way, she eventually arrived in Turkey and Acibadem through MediGence on the recommendation of her case manager, Arhama, where the doctors had evaluated her previous attempts and provided her with solutions to boost her fertility.

Rebuilding Her Future After Cancer

Vivien's fertility journey was closely connected to her experience with cancer. In 2022, she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and subsequently underwent a total thyroidectomy. Her cancer journey also involved metastases in the lungs, which were treated.

After recovering from cancer, fertility became an important part of planning her future. Despite her challenging medical history, her ovarian reserve appeared encouraging. Her egg levels and AMH (anti-MÃ¼llerian hormone) levels were reported to be good, suggesting that there was still potential for fertility treatment.

Preserving Her Fertility

In 2024, one of Vivien's treatment cycles was undertaken specifically for egg freezing rather than implantation. The decision involved concerns regarding future cancer treatment and its effects on her reproductive options. She decided to freeze her eggs to preserve her reproductive resources for future use.

This decision was a significant part of her approach to fertility planning. In addition to getting pregnant in the present, Vivien and her medical team were also working out how to preserve her reproductive choices for the future, considering the uncertainties of her previous cancer.

She subsequently underwent several hormone treatments as part of her fertility journey.

Despite these efforts, however, achieving pregnancy remained unsuccessful.

Multiple IVF and ICSI Attempts

Following her cancer recovery, Vivien attempted to conceive through assisted reproductive technologies. She underwent multiple IVF and ICSI treatments, hoping that one of these attempts would lead to a successful pregnancy. IVF involves retrieving eggs and fertilising them with sperm in a laboratory before transferring an embryo, while ICSI involves injecting a single sperm directly into an egg during the fertilisation process.

For Vivien, these treatments represented repeated efforts to achieve her dream of becoming a parent. Despite undergoing these procedures, there was still no successful conception. The repeated unsuccessful attempts were understandably difficult.

Seeking Another Opinion in Turkey

On March 17th, 2025, Vivien set out on her journey from Germany to Turkey to find more options for her fertility treatment.

Through the MediGence website, she was connected with medical care at Acibadem. Her case was particularly complex because fertility treatment needed to be considered alongside her history of thyroid cancer, previous thyroidectomy, treated lung metastases, and previous unsuccessful IVF and ICSI attempts.

The doctors at Acibadem reviewed her situation and discussed additional options with her.

As part of the proposed approach, the Acibadem doctors invited Vivien to undergo PRP treatment along with medications. The intention was to explore whether additional treatment could support her reproductive goals after conventional fertility treatments had not produced the desired result. For Vivien, this represented another opportunity to explore possible avenues toward pregnancy.

The treatment plan included PRP and medication. PRP, or platelet-rich plasma, involves preparing a concentrated component of a patient's own blood and using it therapeutically. Its use in reproductive medicine remains an area of ongoing clinical research, and its effectiveness can vary depending on the indication and individual circumstances. In Vivien's case, the proposed treatment formed part of an effort to explore additional options after multiple unsuccessful IVF and ICSI attempts.

However, her treatment journey in Turkey was not completed. Vivien underwent part of the recommended treatment before returning to Germany. As a result, the planned treatment course was not completed, and there were no reported successful fertility results from this episode of care. Although this outcome was not what she had hoped for, her journey reflects the complexity of fertility treatment, particularly for patients whose reproductive plans intersect with a significant previous medical history.

Looking Ahead

The processes of cancer recovery, fertility preservation, assisted reproduction, and the mental anguish of failing to get pregnant repeatedly.

Vivien's journey from Germany to Turkey was another chapter in that process. Her experience at Acibadem did not produce the outcome she had hoped for, as she returned to Germany after receiving only part of the recommended treatment. However, her willingness to seek another opinion and explore additional possibilities through MediGence reflects her determination to keep moving forward. After overcoming cancer and navigating multiple fertility treatments, Vivien continues to carry the hope of building a family.

Her story is a reminder that fertility journeys can be complex, especially after serious illness, and that every patient's path is unique. For people considering pregnancy after cancer treatment, decisions should be made collaboratively with both oncology and fertility specialists, taking into account cancer history, current health, reproductive goals, and the safety of future treatment. For Vivien, the journey continues, with the hope that the future may still hold the possibility of the family she has been working so hard to build.