Today she supports women in a group she created, giving all her support and experience, but Cettina's story begins in 1992.
Her path was difficult, assisted fertilization treatments were not yet widespread, infertility was a taboo, but thanks to a lot of determination and the meeting with Prof Manna she was able to realize a dream that seemed impossible.
Let's read his testimony. First attempts and start of checks. My unforgettable experience dates back to 1992.
I am Calabrian, in those days people married very young, I was 19 years old. The first two years my husband and I did not try to get pregnant, they were years of settling into life as a couple, after two years the desire begins to make itself felt, but failing that the first checks begin; including gynecological visits, ultrasounds, hysterosalpingography, hysteroscopy, intubation, hormonal tests, etc.
Stress, disappointments, tears begin to accumulate. But nothing! There's no reason why I shouldn't get pregnant.
Years pass, the checks are repeated, intensified but still nothing. I am increasingly tired, disappointed! The relationship with my husband began to decline because I didn't think about anything else, it had become an obsession.
Meanwhile, my friends who got married started having children and I, despite all the sacrifices, did nothing.
My father, who really wanted a grandson, he loved children, fell ill with cancer and couldn't cope.
Unfortunately he will never be able to see his grandchildren and this is my greatest regret (loved dad).
The meeting with Prof Manna One day, I talked about it with the family doctor who pointed me to a very knowledgeable doctor from Cosenza, he says, who works in Rome and his name is: "Claudio Manna". I talked about it to my husband and we decided to make an appointment to go and see him.
It immediately gives us a feeling of tranquility and confidence. I recognize in him competence, determination, understanding, but above all passion for research and attention in the study of our case in not neglecting anything until we get to the bottom of the problem.
He prescribes some tests for me but above all a spermiogram for my husband, because, you see: if today it is a normal procedure, then the problem was sought only and exclusively in the woman, so we discover a varicocele and my husband is operated on, we then try various IUIs but nothing, nothing happens yet the first, the second, the third, we try IVF, the first, the second, but always nothing and my face becomes increasingly dark.
Success with ICSI: Claudio is born! However, he continues to study our case and sends my husband to Florence to a research laboratory to do a particular test that no one here did, now I don't know if it was the DNA fragmentation test that is normally done today but at the time they were all new things that the professor himself explored.
Here the problem comes out, thanks to the attention and determination he put into it we discover that with IVF I would never have been able to get pregnant.
The acrosome of the sperm lacks an enzyme and can never make it into the egg.
We need to try an ICSI but saying ICSI today is one thing but in 1994 it was a new technique, but the professor is not discouraged and is determined to try it, he prepares a personalized therapy for me and every day I am directed to how to proceed based on the hormonal and follicular dosages, which among other things given the scrupulousness he makes me do in Rome. I therefore have to stay there for several days, not like today which thanks to advanced technology all this can be avoided because the execution of hormonal tests are normal and widespread phases. competence and follicular monitoring is part of the normal cultural background of any gynecologist so they can easily be done while remaining in their own centers of residence, the important thing is to make sure to carry out the most important phases at the center where there is an excellent laboratory and customization can be ensured in the most important and sensitive phases of the entire procedure.
I arrive at the pick up awake, today we are under anesthesia but the calmness of this professor accompanied me so much so that I don't remember it as that very traumatic thing.
I arrive at the transfer, enjoying those moments that are unforgettable for me, three dots are inside me, trying to cling to me (life).
Thanks therefore to the professionalism of this doctor, the attention, the meticulousness he put in, the personalization of the entire process, my betas are positive Wouuu.
My son was born who I couldn't help but call Claudio, he was the first child in Calabria to be born with ICSI, they wrote a little article about it in a Cosenza newspaper.
Loneliness and taboos: support for women In those days, the psychological support that I praise so much today was lacking, because I know and recognize its importance and I know well what it means to be alone without any help, not even the family because they couldn't understand.
I received my strength only thanks to this professor, among other things if today there is still little talk about infertility, imagine in those days, it was completely taboo, you were completely alone.
Groups didn't exist, that's why today I'm happy to be part of them and lend my support, dictated only by my personal experience, I'm not a doctor and I have no skills in this regard, it's only and exclusively personal experience.
Scientific information then, that was non-existent, I bought some booklets when I found them, I consulted newspaper articles, a few lines or some medical programme, every now and then he dedicated a few minutes to it and I followed it.
I didn't like that condition of solitude, it was restrictive, it made my life even worse, I cried... how much I cried but then I decided to rebel because what doesn't kill makes you stronger and when the wives, those who enjoy hurting you, asked me why there were still no children, thinking they could imagine the answer, I decided to surprise them and, leaving them astounded, I explained to them what I was subjecting myself to, telling them in detail the whole process and what it consisted of, leaving them stunned and with a bitter mouth.
From here in the village we started talking about it because the villages are like that "people whisper" and many girls approached me and told me about their infertility, always advising me not to tell anyone but they were at least able to talk about it with me because they knew my experience and in some way I managed to make them feel better but no one had to know anything about them, no one was able to do as I had done.
I started lending my support back then. One of my villagers, trusting me, also went to Dr. Manna and had a baby girl, even today she is moved when she thinks about it and I am happy to have contributed to that miracle.
The return to ICSI: double pregnancy However, four years later I stubbornly returned to the professor who defined me as the standard-bearer because here too you see: then those who managed to have their first child after so much hardship did not return for the second, they were other realities and then much more was spent but not only on the techniques but much more was spent on monitoring, on medicines and on stays which were much longer.
Beta positive but unfortunately the heartbeat stops, I have to do a curettage... anguish and sadness surround me, while I'm waiting for my turn in the hospital some girls are laughing and joking, they too are waiting for their turn but they want to throw it away because they don't want it? For goodness sake I'm not judging anyone, but I'm too sick.? I try again and this time, "beta positive" I am pregnant with twins who are due to give birth.
My joy is not doubled but tripled, I am over the moon. Today what can I say? I don't want and can't say anything other than: never lose hope, the important thing is to believe in it by relying on competent doctors who you can trust, but above all human and passionate because passion moves the world, only in this way you will certainly not waste your time and your money, I don't want to say that you won't have failures like I had because unfortunately in these paths we talk about percentages not certainties, but you will be sure that the maximum that could have been done was truly done and with the utmost scrupulousness, because believe me I noticed it right away "this doctor doesn't know how to work otherwise" he put in and puts in all the passion possible and insists until it becomes a puzzle.
Only in this way can you be sure that the chances of realizing your dream will greatly increase but you have to trust and rely, he will know what and how to do to get you to the finish line, that's all I wanted to tell you.