Real Patient Stories | Fertility Resources

Oct 17, 2023 | Real Patient Stories

Amanda & Jesse

Life leading up to treatment was so happy. We traveled, made advancements in our careers, got married, and set ourselves up to become parents. Shortly after we were married, my husband and I started trying for children. At the time, many of my friends were getting married and starting their families. Year after year, we were not successful. I watched my friends have their first and second children while I still could not conceive. I found that I was losing friends because they were moving on with their families and making mom friends. I felt so left behind.

I had to stop going to baby showers, because I would cry for days after, mourning the baby I had yet to meet. I felt this overwhelming sense of missing someone that I hadn't met yet. The process of getting diagnosed and treatment took so long. After two years of being unable to start our family, we contacted our doctors. My husband underwent a barrage of tests only to be told there was no reason he couldn't have children. So, we started our journey at Boston IVF. The Boston IVF team diagnosed me with endometriosis (stage four) and PCOS. My ovaries had fused to the side wall of my abdomen, and there was such significant scaring on my fallopian tubes that there was an almost zero percent chance that I could conceive. I underwent three rounds of IUI with no success. With the third failed IUI, we decided to take Dr. Lannon's advice and start IVF. It was such a harrowing process involving shots, surgeries, and so many internal ultrasounds. But it was all so worth it. We were finally pregnant and on the first round, no less! We were told we only had a 30% chance of conceiving, especially on the first try. I remember crying after the implantation procedure because I finally had an embryo inside me.

I told my husband, "I don't care what anyone says or even if this one doesn't take... I'm finally pregnant." We hugged each other and cried right there in the parking lot. A few weeks later, it was confirmed that I was pregnant. I have never felt such joy and relief in my life. I would finally become the mom I always knew I was supposed to be. Throughout this journey, I was so fortunate that my best friend had her child via IUI and could understand the feeling of isolation and loneliness that comes with infertility. I had so many loved ones that wanted to help but didn't know how to. I hate being pitied and that is how I felt so often. I went through IVF during the height of the pandemic so there were no support groups, and I couldn't meet with providers in-person unless a procedure was happening. I could not have my husband with me when going through egg retrievals. I'm still working on healing the psychological stuff, but I am so happy today and so grateful. We say my son will never go a day wondering if he was wanted. I am grateful for Boston IVF and especially the nurses.

There was one nurse who was so kind and loving to me when I was doing my egg retrieval. All I can remember were how pretty her eyes were and how kind her words were. I couldn't have done it without her. Thank you to everyone there. I have a wonderful two-year-old boy, Jude, thanks to everyone there, and I am starting the process of having another child with Boston IVF's help.

Oct 17, 2023 | Real Patient Stories

Britney & Patrick

My husband and I have been together since we were 17. We got married in 2017 and knew we wanted to start trying for a family within that first year. Knowing I would have a hard time getting pregnant due to me not having a period on my own, we went through the first year of trying and then made a call to our first clinic. We had our first egg retrieval, and we were able to do a fresh transfer and freeze 4 embryos.

Surprisingly for both of us, the first transfer took, and I was pregnant. Unfortunately, we lost this one around Week 8. Scared and nervous to keep going, we ended up trying 3 more transfers that were all unsuccessful. With one embryo left, we made the decision to get a second opinion at a new clinic and booked our first appointment with Dr. Kerri Luzzo. After meeting with Dr. Luzzo, she made us have hope again. We had to update some testing and we were able to do another egg retrieval in June 2021. In early July, 2021 we transferred 2 fresh embryos with the hope of one sticking. And just 2 weeks later we found out that both took! Around 7 Weeks, I experienced bleeding and thought I was having a miscarriage again. Our team, along with Dr. Luzzo, were so amazing and took me right in for an ultrasound. It showed that we did lose one of the embryos, but we still had one holding on!

They continued to monitor me very closely, and we were able to graduate from the clinic! Everything was going amazingly until one Wednesday night in December. I started bleeding at 26 weeks. I rushed to the hospital to be checked and learned I was going into pre-term labor. About 8 hours later, I delivered our beautiful baby girl, Stella. Unfortunately, our girl was too beautiful for this earth, and we had our hearts broken. Never did I ever imagine leaving the hospital without our baby. Months went by and we decided to have a follow-up appointment with Dr. Luzzo, just to catch up, and we ended up deciding that we should try another transfer. Fast forward to July 12, 2022. This date was already incredibly important to me, as it was exactly one year ago that we got our call saying my Beta was positive. My husband and I were waiting patiently in the exam room, getting ready for our transfer, when the nurse let us know who the doctor was going to be… and she had the same name as my nana who had passed away.

From that moment forward, I had hope that this was going to be our time. And 2 weeks later our beta was positive! It was a very emotional time and the fear of losing yet another baby was always in the front of my mind. But fast forward and on March 22, 2023, our beautiful baby boy was born 100% healthy! The moment when the doctor placed my baby in my arms, a child I never thought I'd have, and I heard his first cry as he lay on my chest is a memory I will never forget. We are beyond blessed to have been in the hands of this beautiful team at Boston IVF. We would not have our family if it wasn't for them encouraging us to never give up, even though we wanted to. It's true that after every storm, no matter how big or small, you always get the perfect rainbow!

Oct 17, 2023 | Real Patient Stories

Amanda & Scott

We started trying to conceive in 2018. I was in my late thirties and Scott in his early forties. I suffered two blighted ovum miscarriages and one other unexplained miscarriage. The tissue from one miscarriage was tested and revealed that missing chromosomes caused the terminated pregnancy. After being advised that I was "old" at age 37/38 and should just let it be, I went through four OBs before finding Boston IVF. In 2020, we were slated to start our journey in April. COVID stopped us. In the meantime, I developed some health issues that impacted us once again.

By 2021, I moved forward with two egg retrieval cycles that resulted in one PGT-tested viable embryo. I did a FET in February 2022. During that time, I worked with Rocky Coast Integrated Medicine in S. Portland for acupuncture. I also ate whole foods while avoiding processed and sugary foods. Prior to the FET Boston IVF provided an acupuncture session. He stuck! Declan was born on 11/2/2022 healthy and perfect via C-section due to a breech position during the entire pregnancy. He just turned nine months old. We worked with Dr. Lannon and Tiffany, our nurse. They were easy to talk to, and Dr. Alper did the FET.

Jul 31, 2023 | Real Patient Stories

Ariane & Brent

My husband and I tried for a year on our own and we started with our primary care office that offered infertility. We basically wasted a year and we are so thankful we had Boston IVF and Doctor Resetkova. We had three failed IUIs. We had one egg retrieval but no eggs fertilized. Finally, in the second egg retrieval, we ended up with 5 embryos. We did a natural transfer the first time, and it didn't take. Our second was with hormones throughout to help. Progesterone and estrogen. I genuinely believe without those, we wouldn't have had our daughter. We transferred #3 and then #4 with no success and no hormones. Finally, our last embryo, we did the hormones again and we now have a son! We are truly blessed, and it was an extremely emotional journey, but we are so thankful we didn't give up.

May 18, 2023 | Real Patient Stories

Carissa & Dana

My husband and I met in college at UMass Dartmouth. We started dating in 2010 and got married in 2016. Four years in to our marriage, in 2020, my husband Dana was diagnosed with a rare blood cancer, multiple myeloma. Up until this time, we were not sure we wanted children, but once we were told that if we did not act now, we may not be able to have children, we decided to go to Boston IVF. In 2020, I had polyps removed from my uterus. After this, in 2021, I started the IVF process. I had my egg retrieval and my first transfer. They embryo implanted & I was told I was pregnant.

However, after the first ultrasound after the transfer, we were told the heartbeat was not strong enough & I would most likely miscarry. At 9 weeks, the week after my birthday, I ended up needing a D&C. We tried again with a FET as soon as we could. On May 4th 2022, after the FET I found out I was pregnant again. I was extremely nervous after experiencing my first miscarriage. I was so happy when we went for our ultrasound and she had a strong heartbeat and we graduated from Boston IVF to our obgyn.

Apr 19, 2023 | Real Patient Stories

Rachel & Chris

One year ago today we transferred one frozen embryo after a devastating loss. We were filled with fear and doubt but also a tiny bit of hope that this would lead us to our rainbow baby! One year later we are forever grateful for Boston IVF’s team for completing our family as Gabriel Dominic is 3 months old. Thank you Dr. Berger and all the wonderful nurses and staff for navigating us through this journey.

Apr 12, 2023 | Real Patient Stories

Chelsea & David

We were married for two years when we started to feel it was time to grow our family. We felt the call to become parents in the fall of 2019 while watching families with their young children enjoying the lead-up to the holidays. It felt like it was time. Plus our dog and cat wanted a human sibling. Making the decision felt thrilling at first. But as time went by without success, we started to fear that we would never be parents. Finally, in the summer of 2021 we were referred to Boston IVF and Dr. DiGirolamo. We were diagnosed with unexplained infertility - a frustrating diagnosis, but Dr. DiGirolamo made us feel confident that she could help us on our journey. Going through IVF treatment was an emotional rollercoaster. Hormones, injections, tests, procedures.

In March of 2022 we experienced an early pregnancy loss which left us grieving and desolate. But just a few months later, in July, we tried another transfer. It was scary and difficult to feel hopeful again. Even when we got that positive beta test and saw the heartbeat on our 7-week ultrasound, it still felt dangerous to let our guard down. But as time went by and we reached one milestone after another, it started to feel more real. Thanks to the expertise, professionalism, and compassion of our care team at Boston IVF, we welcomed our daughter to the world in March 2023. We couldn't have asked for a better group of professionals to help us on our journey to parenthood. Dr. DiGirolamo and her nurses (especially Bryna and Ryan) took the best care of us, answering every anxious question and guiding us through the medical minutiae of IVF with care and competence. Thank you!

Apr 04, 2023 | Real Patient Stories

Sharon & Roy

We decided to begin trying for a baby about a year after we got married. Little did we know that we were starting a journey fraught with heartache and pain. First, there was loss due to a subseptate uterus, which would need to be corrected by surgery. Then, there were a couple of unexplained losses and our general failure to conceive. These difficulties led us to begin our journey into the world of fertility treatments. I began with the required IUIs, and while the second procedure did lead to my getting pregnant, I wasn't convinced that the doctor at the fertility center we were going to at the time was the best for us. I had been talking to a therapist and they mentioned reaching out to Boston IVF, so I did.

I was able to get an appointment with a doctor who immediately made us feel comfortable and set realistic outcomes. Amazingly, he picked up right away that something with my current pregnancy was not quite right. Unfortunately, he was correct; we had another loss, and my life was nearly endangered. During these hectic weeks, he spent time on the phone calming my husband down and reassuring him of the procedure we were told needed to happen while on vacation. He then followed up post-op to make sure all was well! Fast forward several months and our fertility care team and physician set forth a detailed plan to help us try to conceive as quickly as possible. During our 2nd cycle we successfully retrieved and fertilized 2 eggs. We decided to freeze these 2 embryos. During our 3rd cycle, however, 6 fresh embryos were to be transferred. The large number of embryos made the doctor doing the transfer question the procedure, which made us uncertain for a moment. But then we remembered that we had complete faith in our physician, and if he was recommending a six-embryo transfer, then that's what we were going to do.

We're so glad we did! Out of 6, one little fighter stayed, and my uterus became the happy home for a baby after 4 years of trying! 5 years later we made the decision to use the frozen embryos from our 2nd cycle of IVF. We reached out to Dr. Berger at Boston IVF’s Quincy Fertility Center to help with the FET and became pregnant with our son! Now our family is complete with our miracles.

Apr 04, 2023 | Real Patient Stories

Taquisha & Patrick

My husband and I decided to add to our family after we got married in 2018. Little did we know we would have multiple bumps in the road. We reached out to Boston IVF for a consultation after trying to conceive on our own for a year. We felt nervous and excited when we got an appointment right away. Early on we were diagnosed with secondary unexplained infertility. Our first IUI cycle was in August of 2019. When the cycle was a success, we thought we had just graduated from Boston IVF. However, the pregnancy, unfortunately, ended in a miscarriage at eight weeks. With broken hearts, we knew we wanted to try again. We jumped right back into the next cycle and did four more IUI’s with no success. With only one cycle left we weren’t too hopeful, but IUI number six turned out to be successful. Yet again, the cycle ended in a miscarriage, a week before Christmas in 2019.

After that miscarriage, Dr. Elguero ordered some tests to dive deeper into why we kept miscarrying. When we didn’t find any answers, we decided to prepare for IVF. August 2020, we did our first egg retrieval followed by a fresh embryo transfer. More disappointment... the cycle did not take, and we were again heartbroken. Our second embryo transfer we transferred two embryos. One took, but that ended in our third miscarriage. At this point, Dr. Elguero recommended that we remove a small fibroid that was located on the outside of my uterus. In March 2022, during the surgery the doctor found endometriosis covering a decent portion of my uterus. Recovery was a six-week journey, and once we were cleared, we did our third and final embryo transfer. In July 2021, we transferred two embryos. With this being our final round, we prayed and hoped that one would take, and to our surprise one did! We remember getting the phone call that we were pregnant like it was yesterday. We were so excited and prayed that the next three betas would be great numbers, and they were!

Every ultrasound we had we always mentally and emotionally prepared for bad news, but we were pleasantly surprised when each and every appointment there was a beautifully perfect heartbeat. Our baby was growing right on track! In March 2022, we welcomed a beautiful baby girl. We named her Naomi. We are so blessed and so grateful beyond measure for all of the staff at Boston IVF that made it possible.

Apr 04, 2023 | Real Patient Stories

Carli & Tiffany

My wife and I met in 2008, fell in love, and have been college sweethearts ever since. From the very beginning of our relationship, we knew for certain that we wanted to start a family together. The question was, how do we start? In 2021, we attended an informational webinar that helped to educate us on how to begin our fertility journey with Boston IVF. After three rounds of IUI, my wife became pregnant with our son. We cannot put into words how grateful we are to Boston IVF for helping us make our little family possible. THANK YOU, ALWAYS!

Apr 04, 2023 | Real Patient Stories

Veronica & Gregory

Even though it feels like 'a lot'/personal - I promised myself I'd normalize struggles with infertility soon after my pregnancy announcement! IRL we had a long road of testing, 6 IUIs, IVF, holistic medicine, marital strain, tears, 2 lost babies, seeing so many people get pregnant 'easily.' Eventually, 27 eggs somehow boiled down to ONE healthy embryo. I was so concerned, but Dr. Lannon and team reassured me, "all you need is one." We are so grateful to have the financial, social, and emotional resources to lean on some science & a whole lot of faith. (1) THANK YOU to an amazing community of the best women EVER for listening & just being so beautifully, gloriously supportive, (2) If you are struggling with unexplained infertility, please know you are not alone, & (3) We ALL struggle with something(s)- let's be kind to each other.

Apr 04, 2023 | Real Patient Stories

Brittany & Shaughn

My husband and I welcomed our miracle baby in December of 2022. When we got engaged in 2018, we decided it was time to start our family. After 2 years of failed attempts and meetings with my regular OB, we decided to head to your facility. After a year of multiple tests & an honest answer that IVF may be our only shot, we decided to give IUI a try! After our 4th failed, I almost gave up. We were exhausted with meds, shots, etc. My husband's birthday was coming up and the 5th IUI would land on that day, so we chose to try one last time. We honestly didn't have much hope & were prepared to have to start the grueling process of IVF. So, on April 4th 2022 we went in for IUI #5. About 2 weeks later I started to feel more tired than usual but tried not to think about it. On April 21st we got the call that #5 was a success! We were in awe & shocked.

Our miracle had come true. Pregnancy was full of fatigue and nausea but overall was not bad. On December 21st, 2022, we went in for a scheduled c-section due to the baby being breech. During the birth, my placenta ruptured but the baby & I both came out great, we are perfectly healthy! Science works, doctors work, and miracles do come true. Here we are, almost 4 years later, absolutely head over heels in love with our miracle baby. Our baby boy is here and perfect. Thank you, Boston IVF!