Real Patient Stories | Fertility Resources

Mar 13, 2023 | Real Patient Stories

Liz & Kristi

Prior to becoming parents to two amazing little humans, my wife and I were the quintessential dog-parent people. About a year before we embarked on our journey with Boston IVF, we had officially made the decision that we wanted to add children to our mix, but we weren’t sure which route we were going to take. After a lot of research into adoption vs IUI, and a conversation with my wife’s endocrinologist about Type 1 Diabetes and pregnancy, we made the decision that we would attempt having our own, and that I would be the one to carry. In November of 2019, we found our sperm donor through Seattle Sperm Bank. Initially we were going to attempt the process on our own at home, but after a little more research and a lot of questions, we scheduled an intake appointment with Boston IVF at the Syracuse center.

From day one the staff were absolutely incredible. Anna at the front desk immediately made us feel welcome and it meant so much that every time we called, as soon as she answered the phone, it was like connecting with an old friend. Abby was wonderfully attentive and answered all of our financial questions and helped walk us through the crazy bureaucracy of insurance. While we had initially started with another doctor, the world shut down in March of 2020, just as we were having all of our initial lab work and imaging done to complete our first IUI. Boston IVF stayed in touch though and continued to update us with regards to when we might be able to begin. In April of 2020 we got a call from Dr. Bove who had taken over our case. She had gone through my lab work and discovered that based upon my AMH and FSH levels, I was presenting with Diminished Ovarian Reserve. She explained everything with an incredible balance of deep knowledge and understanding and compassion, and it was determined that IVF would be a more productive course of action.

Boston IVF was incredibly thorough with giving us all of the information that IVF entailed. From learning modules that explained what was happening and how it was happening, to phone calls and emails with the nurses, we always felt like our questions were addressed. And throughout the stim process, the ultrasound technicians, phlebotomists, and nurses were warm, engaging, comforting, respectful, and friendly. On the day of the egg retrieval, because of COVID restrictions, my wife was not allowed to go into the building with me. After the procedure, Dr. Bove made it a point to go out to the parking lot to introduce herself to my wife and let her know how the whole process had gone. We were all a little amazed that despite the DOR diagnosis, they had retrieved 8 eggs, 7 of which were mature. Of those 7, all 7 fertilized and 3 embryos made it to day 5 and were frozen. On the day of our transfer, Dr. Penzias flew in. Despite that being the first time meeting him, he was efficient but warm.

After the dreaded two week wait, we were informed our transfer was successful and our beta numbers had more than doubled. Around the five and a half week mark however, I began to experience a fair amount of bleeding and we prepared ourselves for the worst. I called BIVF and they told me to come in right away. As soon as I walked into the clinic, Maureen- one of the ultrasound technicians was waiting for me. She immediately just gave me a hug and walked me back to the ultrasound room. She also told me to call my wife and have her come in from the parking lot, just in case. As we waited to hear what we had been dreading, Maureen found a heartbeat. She called in Molly, our PA who confirmed everything was alright. Molly and Maureen demonstrated an extraordinary amount of care, empathy, and sensitivity in what was an extremely harrowing and vulnerable moment.

Ultimately, we were a little heartbroken when we were discharged into the care of my regular obgyn because BIVF had truly come to feel like a family. And thanks to the expertise and astounding work of the team, our beautiful daughter was born at the end of April 2021. Knowing we had two embryos left, we decided to take a shot in the dark and see if we could replicate our success. Our amazing son was born at the beginning of November 2022.

Jan 30, 2023 | Real Patient Stories

Stephanie & Will

We got married in 2012 and knew then that we were going to try for a baby right away. I got pregnant 9 months later with the help of Clomid. When we went for our 12 week ultrasound we discovered that it was a blight ovum pardum pregnancy and I had to have a DNC. After this miscarriage I had 2 unsuccessful IUIs. We then did our first round of IVF in 2020, and I became pregnant. I lost that baby very early. A few months later we did another round of IVF and became pregnant. At 33 weeks pregnant I had a placenta abruption and was rushed to the hospital via ambulance. I stayed in the hospital for 24 days. The longest 3 weeks of my life. I had gestational diabetes and took insulin 4 times a day. After 23 hours I’d labor, I had an emergency c-section. It was terrifying. My pregnancy was difficult, but I’d do it again. I can’t believe we want another baby, but I do.

We now have a healthy, happy 14 1/2 month old baby boy named Bennett William. He is learning to walk and testing out his lungs! I still stare at him in awe! I cannot believe I’m a Mama. We are so grateful to Dr. Alper and Dr. Lannon! We were ready to give up on our dream of being parents. I’m so glad we decided to a 2nd round of IVF. Thank you for everyone who helped along the way.

Jan 11, 2023 | Real Patient Stories

Dani & Dan

Our journey to parenthood began unexpectedly, in the middle of a pandemic, on a sunny Friday. We weren’t trying, and we weren’t not trying. We were just happy 26-year-old high school sweethearts; we had our dogs, we had a future, and nothing needed to be planned out. For a few weeks, I had been feeling off, so I decided to take a test. I paced around my house, shaking as I held that test, which had turned positive almost instantly. I was pregnant. Although our pregnancy wasn’t exactly planned, it was so very wanted. We told our family and close friends. We discussed names. We had an ultrasound that showed only a gestational sac. But we had no fear! It was just too early to see the baby, right? If only we’d know what was ahead.

Our world came crashing down on the Friday of Father’s Day weekend, 2020. Emergency room. Needles. Ultrasound. Hours and hours in a mask in a hospital in a terrifying time. Spontaneous abortion. And so began our journey through infertility. The fear of using the bathroom. The constant worry. The anguish at seeing another pregnancy announcement on Facebook. Going to Target became unbearable. Everything was a reminder of what we didn’t have anymore. We would eventually become experts in grief and disappointment. After that initial loss, we were told “everything happens for a reason” about a thousand times, and somehow that hurt even more. My best friend, who happens to be a grief counselor, helped me change my mindset about that phrase. She said: “it didn’t happen for a reason, but you can find meaning in what happened. You learned that you are ready to start a family.”

I always knew I had PCOS, but it was never officially diagnosed. After nine more months of trying on our own, an official PCOS diagnosis, and a clean HSG through my OBGYN, we were referred to Dr. Brian Berger in March of 2021. Infertility is a test of patience, and it truly forces you to develop coping mechanisms. It was yoga, family time, and Friday night pizza for me. From March through July, we had tests, and I took medicine to help bring down my testosterone levels (thanks to PCOS). We kept busy and stayed hopeful. Beach days, boat days, we even got engaged! And then, finally, it was time. My insurance required 3 IUIs before we could move on. The day of our first one came, and I’d never been so excited to see a speculum. We had a chance! I spent the two week wait, enjoying the last weeks of summer. But beta day came, and it was negative. We were sad but still had so much hope, so we hopped into the next cycle. I got the call at an antique car show; I cried in front of the 1960s-era cars. My HCG was a 3. An embryo had been implanted, but it was most likely not viable. It hurt more than a negative.

Why couldn’t my body do what it was designed to do? Somehow we still had hope, and we hopped into our third and final IUI. Again not the call we wanted. This was the most devastating and traumatic cycle. My initial beta was 31, which fluctuated for more than ten days, leaving me exhausted by the tri-weekly 4 am trips to Quincy for blood draws. I felt so stuck during those two weeks, knowing I was pregnant, but not really. My body couldn’t sustain a pregnancy. Everything was dark and heavy. I felt so guilty for wanting to miscarry that pregnancy. I felt guilty that my body failed yet again. Eventually, I did miscarry, and it was time for our first round of IVF. On the first night of injections, Dan accidentally poked himself with a needle and dropped another on the floor. I somehow scratched a needle down my stomach and had a beautiful scratch to go with my bruises and needle marks. It was a mess; we laughed so hard that tears were streaming down our faces. Infertility brought us closer in a humbling and vulnerable way. On our tenth anniversary, I went in for an egg retrieval. I love that all our children were conceived on our tenth anniversary. On December 22, I was able to transfer one fresh 5AA embryo.

Watching the little air bubble plop down into my uterus on the ultrasound screen was beautiful and magical. We smiled on the rainy drive home. But the thing is, infertility trauma doesn’t leave you, even when good things happen. Even after a voicemail saying, “congratulations, you’re pregnant,” and dancing around the living room with happy tears, the anxiety lingers. What could go wrong? From experience, I can say this: sometimes nothing goes wrong. Sometimes it just works out exactly how you want. On January 24th, I was an anxious mess. We walked into the Quincy office for our ultrasound, and I just about squeezed Dan’s hand off. Once in the room, I stared at the ultrasound tech, trying to read her face. Did she see more than a gestational sac? Was there a heartbeat? Did she blink weirdly? Is that a frown under her mask? Dan is my rock, and he kept my hope and happiness in all our months of infertility. He kept me sane. But on the day of our ultrasound, he sobbed as he saw the perfect 140-beat heartbeat flashing on the screen. The same heartbeat I’d hear at the OB’s office for the next 40 weeks. The same heartbeat is snuggling next to me as I type.

Della Meredith joined the world on September 21, 2022, after 42 weeks and two days of growing. She’s the love of our life, and we genuinely have Boston IVF to thank. Dr. Berger, Donna, and Angel guided us through treatment. Dr. Seidler performed our retrieval. And Dr. Ryley did our embryo transfer. Without these professionals' care and compassion, we wouldn’t have had hope, and we wouldn’t have our sweet Della girl. The trauma of infertility doesn’t leave you, ever. I still feel the sting of pregnancy announcements. I enjoyed every bit of my pregnancy but needed so much reassurance. Going through IVF and having success has taught me much and changed my life. Today I try my best not to live in the what ifs and would be, and I find peace knowing that sometimes things work out with a bit of hope, perseverance, and science.

Jun 10, 2022 | Real Patient Stories

Caysie & Kevin

Kevin and I were married in October of 2019 and knew that starting a family was incredibly important to the both of us. Throughout our relationship, we would dream up names for our future children and discuss all the experiences we hoped to create for our family. After trying for about a year on our own, we realized that we would need some assistance as my monthly cycle was incredibly irregular (and sometimes nonexistent) after I stopped taking birth control.

Among a constellation of other factors, I was diagnosed with PCOS in late 2020. Of course, when receiving new health-related information, my first instinct was to search the internet for stories and statistics like mine, hoping that a PCOS diagnoses wasn’t the end of our parenting dreams. Because of Boston IVF, this diagnosis was only the start of our journey to parenthood. What I appreciated most about working with Dr. Alper is how much he allowed for hope and positive thinking to be part of our treatment. I am not sure what I was expecting, but the fact that he continued to point out the positive aspects of each step and allow a little room for hope within the science, meant the world to us.

We first met Dr. Alper in January of 2021. Throughout the Spring and Summer of that year, we prepped for and engaged in our first round of IVF. Our Egg Retrieval procedure yielded 9 eggs which allowed for the creation of 5 embryos. After testing and waiting to see how many embryos matured, we ended up with 1 healthy embryo. I remember feeling incredibly nervous and a little dejected that after countless injections, a range of emotions, and all those months, that we only had one opportunity for our first cycle. I remember clearly during our appointment to discuss next steps, Dr. Alper said, “It only takes one”. With science and hope (it is difficult to even find the words to properly express) that our Max is our miracle, ONE embryo. We had our Embryo Transfer on August 4th, 2021 and a week or so later we received our first positive pregnancy test.

Jun 02, 2022 | Real Patient Stories

Jean & Chris

My husband and I were married in September 2018 and started for children right away. It didn't come easy; we were getting negative pregnancy tests month after month. Then July 2019, we got our first positive; we were over the moon. Then, heartbreak happened in September 2019 when we suffered a miscarriage. I had a D&C, and we started trying again as soon as we were given the all-clear. But my period wasn't coming. Instead, I was getting cyclic cramps, something was wrong, and my OB was not concerned.

I decided to go to Boston IVF for a second opinion, and then it was found that I had a band of scarring in my cervix, which was removed. I also found out I had low AMH. We decided to do a round of IUI, but due to COVID was pushed back. In April 2020, my first IUI was successful, but in June 2020, I again had another miscarriage. Fast forward from August 2020 to Feb 2021. I had a round of IVF which only yielded one embryo. I had surgery to remove endometriosis and fix a hydrosalpinx. We transferred that embryo in Feb 2021, and it failed. It was realized that my hydrosalpinx came back, and in March 2021, I had my left fallopian tube removed.

In May 2021, my husband and I decided to go with donor eggs due to the miscarriages and to be a terrible responder to IVF. Our first batch yielded no embryos, and we got a replacement lot. In July 2021, we bought a lot of 8 donor eggs, and 6 became blasts! Our first transfer was a success, and our daughter Logan Charlotte Bull was born on March 19, 2022.

Apr 29, 2022 | Real Patient Stories

Brenda & Ricardo

My husband and I were married in May 2003. Just five months later we learned that we were pregnant, and we were over the moon with excitement. Sadly, at ten weeks we lost this baby due to it being ectopic. As the years passed, we tried desperately to have a baby but we never did. We were living in New York at the time, and with the help of my OBGYN we started the IUI process. I cannot remember now how many failed attempts we had, but with each one I was losing a little bit of myself. We moved back to the Boston area in 2008 as we learned that IVF was covered by insurance in Massachusetts. Right away we started at Brigham and Women’s infertility clinic. I was told that my eggs were very poor quality, but we were determined to try.

Over the years I went through 7 rounds of unsuccessful IVF cycles. Each negative pregnancy test devastated us and chipped away at the little hope we had left. At the age of 35, we decided to live child-less. With the help of a wonderful therapist, I made peace with our situation. I was lucky enough to have a strong partner who loved me regardless of my infertility. Infertility had defined me for years, and we knew that we desperately needed to move forward. It was hard, I will admit, watching everyone around me have babies and raise children. I tried to put that love I had towards my niece and nephews, and my friends' children. Soon after turning 40 I had an epiphany that maybe our journey to be parents was not over after all. My eggs were duds, but there were many amazing women out there that could help us. And that was how I found Dr. Berger. We heard all about him and the BIVF clinic, and were told how amazing everyone was.

We went into Boston IVF’s Quincy location, and had a consultation with him. He was warm, kind, smart, honest, and so very encouraging. The process of finding a donor was daunting, but after finding the right clinic through a friend who had gone through the donor process, we found our match almost immediately. In the end we were blessed with three strong embryos. As I was prepping for the first transfer, Dr. Berger called with concerns on the ultrasound - my fallopian tube looked swollen. Grateful for his steady eye he referred me to a specialist who diagnosed a hydrosalpinx (basically fluid build up in my fallopian tube). It was determined that the tube needed to come out in order to give us the best odds of a successful pregnancy. After having my tube removed, we started again.

The first two embryos did not take. It was beyond devastating. Dr. Berger would call us in the evening so that both my husband and I could ask questions together and try to tweak our plan for the next attempt. He was patient, and always tried to think outside the box. With one embryo left, I was scared out of my mind. I can still remember him telling us about this relatively new biopsy, called the Endometrial Receptivity Array (ERA) biopsy. He said it might tell us whether or not my uterus was receptive at the time of transfer, but it was still a new test. He suggested that it was the last thing we could possibly do to make this final round the one that would get us pregnant. As it turned out, he was right - my embryos were being transferred hours too early. He determined that we needed to transfer my very last embryo, our last hope at having a baby, one day later (day 6 rather than day 5). He wanted to be there for my transfer, but unfortunately the timing did not work out.

For ten days I was terrified. I had always home tested for every other transfer, but this time I chose not to. I wanted to live those ten days pretending I was pregnant, and I did not want a hpt to burst that hope. The day of the blood test I drove home from Boston IVF and burst into tears. I remember telling my favorite phlebotomist, Teresa, that this was probably the last time I would get to see her. I was certain this tenth IVF transfer did not result in a pregnancy. I took the day off of work on April 26th to await the final phone call. “Hi Brenda, this is nurse so and so (I think I blacked out), I have instructions for you”. My brain froze - was I comprehending this correctly, she said “instructions”, not “I’m sorry, it was negative”. I said, “Wait, hang on, do you mean I’m pregnant?!!!” “Yes, you are, but your numbers are low so we just have to do more blood work and ultrasounds to ensure your levels are going in the right direction”. I got off the phone with tears pouring down my face and looked at my husband. I finally got to say the words I had been waiting to say for 16 long years: “we are pregnant”.

After crying and jumping up and down, he ran to Target to get some home tests, which I took every day for a week, and still could not believe it was really true. I was pregnant, and it was surreal. We monitored for weeks, until the day we saw her heartbeat. My beautiful baby girl was thriving. I loved being pregnant with her, but she was ready to meet the world earlier than planned. On October 28, 2019 my water broke while I was at work, 7 weeks too soon. I stayed on bed rest at South Shore Hospital while we hoped and prayed that she would stay in for as long as possible. She was born on November 14, 2019 at week 33 on her namesake’s birthday. My grandmother Genevieve was looking down on us as my Genevia Hope was born. She is our everything, she is a joyous and happy little two year old who has caught up and is meeting all of her milestones. We are beyond lucky and feel blessed every single day when I look into her big brown eyes. She looks exactly like her daddy, but has my spunk! If it was not for Boston IVF and Dr. Berger, along with the wonderful nurses and staff helping us to hold on to hope, Genevia would not be ours. We are forever grateful to all of you, to science, and to the generosity of the woman who helped us when I didn’t have what was needed to bring my daughter into the world. It takes a village! Never ever give up hope!

Eternally grateful, Brenda and Ricardo

Apr 29, 2022 | Real Patient Stories

Alison & Rodino

When we think of fertility success stories, it’s easy to link it to pregnancy and a healthy baby entering the world. After all, that’s the ultimate goal. For myself and my husband, our journey is still in process. I think it’s important to not only share success stories that end in the goal of a healthy baby, but also to share the other ways a fertility journey can be successful. Our hope increases the closer we get to that successful embryo transfer, but I am finding other ways that our journey has been successful. I was diagnosed with PCOS years ago but never really thought much about it until it came time that we wanted to expand our family. After trying for a year on our own with no success, we entered our fertility journey with Boston IVF. We have completed one full round of IVF along with another round where we were unfortunately able to proceed with creating any embryos.

Currently we have eggs frozen and still gathering information to decide our next steps. For some, this might not feel like a success. But for us, we continue to find out answers and learn more about more about ourselves. Along the way, I have learned so much about my body, my distress tolerance and most importantly my relationship with my husband. This journey is the hardest yet most enlightening process we could go through. Even though our success hasn’t come in terms of a child yet, I would still say we have reached successes along the way. We need to hold onto those small successes and remember that every step of the process is meeting a goal. It’s easy to remain hopeful when you see all the pictures of embryos that are now cute little babies. But let’s also remember to maintain hope along the way. Everyone’s success is different as is everyone’s fertility journey. And Boston IVF continues to make sure we are taken care of throughout every step.

Jan 27, 2022 | Real Patient Stories

Brianne & Javin

My husband and I decided to meet with Dr. Ryley after trying for a few years to get pregnant on our own. Up until meeting with Dr. Ryley, my husband and I were both frustrated. Obviously, we needed more than an ovulation app to help us have a baby. Dr. Ryley had suggested starting other treatments before moving on to IVF, but my husband and I declined and we decided to start IVF right away. After many needles, bloodwork, and mood swings later...I was pregnant!

Jan 27, 2022 | Real Patient Stories

Amy

In 2014 I moved to Vietnam for a teaching position. During the thorough visa process, a local Vietnamese doctor diagnosed my uterine fibroids and suggested I consider taking action if I wanted to become a mom. I was in my early 30s and was not concerned at all. The doctor’s suggestion sparked my curiosity, and I began researching having a child on my own without a partner. I spent the next four years making my decision, and then I officially started the process once I landed my “dream job” back in the states as a middle school special education teacher. I shopped for the best insurance and was referred to BIVF by a friend who had had success with the help of Dr. Brian Berger. After all the planning and proving to insurance and that I was a good candidate, I was successful in my first round of IVF after four unsuccessful IUI s. I created three healthy embryos (BIVF created them!), and now, at the age of 39, I have my daughter Sage who is three days old, born in early 2022!

Nov 08, 2021 | Real Patient Stories

Beth & Bill

My husband and I always knew we wanted to have children, and we just always assumed it would be an easy process. We tried for 18 months and had no success. Each month was heartbreaking. Seeing our friends around us having children often left us asking, why not us? We completed our testing, and I was diagnosed with a low ovarian reserve, so we jumped right into IVF. It was scary and exciting all at the same time. We had an incredible team to get us through the process. During our cycle, they retrieved seven eggs, 6 of them fertilized, and we had one “great quality” embryo to transfer five days after the retrieval. That embryo is now three years old, and her name is Leah. She is our dream come true, and we have only Boston IVF (Albany, NY) to thank for that!

Oct 05, 2021 | Real Patient Stories

Lauren & Felix

My husband and I met while I was on vacation in the Dominican Republic back in 2009 when I was only 19! We married 2 years after that and started trying for a family rather quickly... but after 4 years of nothing, we finally decided to reach out to Boston IVF. Isabella was conceived via IVF in March of 2016 and is now going on 5 years old (11/11 is her birthday ). This past February we did our first round of a FET ( first attempt since the birth of Isabella ) which resulted in this pregnancy with our second daughter, Aria. Remarkably her due date (11/11/21) is Isabellas birthday and they were both conceived the same day in March back in 2016!! We are so thankful for Dr. DiGirolamo and her amazing team. We couldn’t be happier completing our family. Thank you to the entire staff at Boston IVF for making our dreams of being a family come true!

Sep 10, 2021 | Real Patient Stories

Nicole & Eric

Our Rainbow Baby I started my journey through infertility long before I met my husband. When I was 24 years old, I became pregnant which resulted in a miscarriage at 10 weeks. I was devastated. I was told by doctors, family, and friends it would happen again faster than you think. While my friends and family became pregnant around me, I didn't. My husband and I got together in 2018, we decided to wait until after we got married to start trying to have a child. I knew it wouldn’t happen on our own, so our first appointment at another fertility clinic was two weeks after we got married. At this point, I was 37 and knew my chances were decreasing with each passing year. It was then I found out I had PCOS.

We did one round of mini IVF which resulted in 5 eggs retrieved, 4 fertilized, and all made it to day 3. We decided to transfer our two best-looking embryos, and this failed. A friend of mine was also going through IVF and suggested Lovenox. The second transfer with my two last embryos using Lovenox was a success, but my HCG levels never went beyond 14. I spoke to the nurse about the possibilities and her response was, “we don’t know”. No, follow-up appointment was made, no additional testing. They just wanted to jump back in the saddle and start pumping me up with hormones again. This was unacceptable. I felt like just a number.

In late 2019, I decided we were switching clinics, and I’m so glad we did. One of the first steps is testing, all sorts of testing, and this is when I found out I had a blood clotting disorder called an antiphospholipid syndrome, and therefore why Lovenox made a difference with the second transfer. We decided to go full IVF this time, this resulted in 26 eggs retrieved, 23 matured, 21 fertilized with natural fertilization, 7 embryos made it to day 5, and 3 tested PGT-A normal. 4AA girl and boy, 4BB boy. We decided to transfer our girl first, 5 days later I found out I was pregnant and later confirmed by the clinic. A few weeks into the pregnancy, I started to bleed heavily. I feared I lost her, I was then diagnosed with subchorionic hematoma and monitored for a bit. Every ultrasound I feared I wouldn’t see her little heart beating. I didn’t start to relax through the pregnancy until we made it halfway. At 30 weeks, Sam was breech and never flipped back, my c-section was scheduled for May 7th. Well, Sam had other plans, at 4:45 am on April 27th, I woke up feeling weird and felt a pop. My water broke. My little fighter was born later that morning at 9:24 am.

I remember thinking how I’ll never experience the surprise of becoming pregnant again, well Sam made sure her birth date was a surprise. Funny thing, my birthday also lands on the 27th and so does my sisters.