Real Patient Stories | Fertility Resources

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.

Aug 04, 2021 | Real Patient Stories

Roxanne & Wayne

We got married in June 2017; by May of 2018, we chose to have a baby; knowing that we needed the help of a fertility specialist, we got on Google and were met with two options. I chose Boston IVF in Albany and made the call to set up our first appointment. After a lot of blood work, ultrasounds, and other diagnostic testings, the results came back that my thyroid would be an issue. It took almost a year to get the meds appropriately adjusted to start looking at treatments for Amenorrhea. At that time, I choose to change employment for which changed my health insurance. We went from no coverage to IUI being covered after three failed rounds of Clomid cycles. After more testing, we started Clomid and all the monitoring that went along with it. Blood draws and ultrasounds every few days. Unfortunately, the Clomid did not work, no matter the dose.

We ordered our meds and started our first IUI at the beginning of Covid! My body was not responding to the meds, so they were upped; more monitoring decided to up the meds again; that was it - my body started working, thinking everything was going well! We went in for another round of blood draws and ultrasound, thinking maybe we would be able to do our trigger shot and hope the IUI would be successful! But then - my body had over responded, and instead of 1 or 2 I follicles, I had 8+! I then had to choose to switch from IUI to IVF. Two days later, we went in for our egg retrieval. Like most couples doing treatment during covid, I was alone when I went in. My husband always came along and sat in the car, no matter the reason for my trip to the office. My retrieval went very well! I had 18 embryos, that number drops to 9 three days later, and then by day six, when we went for our transfer, we have two embryos. We did one transfer and chose to freeze the second one. After ten days, we found out Our first transfer was successful; 2 days later, our second beta showed my HCG was rising as it should, and at six weeks, we suffered a miscarriage in June. By August, we did a FET with our last Embryo, we prayed and waited.

The first beta came back good, the second beta raised as it should then we waited for our 6-week ultrasound. I had some spotting the day before and was mentally prepared for the same outcome as last. We went back had blood work and an ultrasound; the tech did measurements then showed me my baby and her little heartbeat. The tears that flowed so freely down my face were the happiest of tears I’ve ever shed! The rest of the pregnancy went very well; delivery was not what I expected, but we had a baby girl on May 3, 2021, at 9:41 pm, weighing in at 6lb 7oz 20.5 inches long. After a week in the NICU, we headed home with a healthy, happy Baby girl Mary-Elizabeth Jane. We are so in LOVE!

Jul 30, 2021 | Real Patient Stories

Tiffani & Tim

My husband and I started actively trying to get pregnant in 2018 with no success. I have PCOS and was rarely ovulating on my own. We finally went to Boston IVF-Albany, and just about a year later, we were pregnant after our first IUI, unfortunately, that pregnancy ended in a missed miscarriage at just under ten weeks. Our second IUI in September 2020 was successful, and our rainbow baby was born on May 28, 2021. We are so grateful for the care we received at the Albany center from Dr. Elguero and our nurse Casey!

Jul 16, 2021 | Real Patient Stories

Kristen & Mike

We got married in October of 2014 and waited a bit to start trying for children. Once we did start, we got pregnant right away but experienced a chemical pregnancy-a positive pregnancy test with almost immediate bleeding and an end to the pregnancy. That happened twice more before we sought medical help. My OBGYN didn’t think it was a big deal and encouraged us to wait until the year mark to seek a fertility specialist, but we knew something wasn’t right.

We saw Dr. Elguero and immediately felt comfortable with her explanations of things and our plan of care. We tried several months of progesterone supplementation with no success and then went through testing to begin IUI. We discovered endometrial polyps, which needed to be removed, and a blocked tube, and after surgery to deal with that, we started our IUI cycles. The first was canceled due to an unexpected overreaction to Clomid.

After three more cycles, we were finally pregnant. The early ultrasounds with the Albany office were so comforting, especially with the experience of many early losses. It was a wonderful experience to be signed out to go and be a “normal” obstetrical patient at ten weeks. Our daughter Anna was born on May 18, 2018. We went on to give her a little sister on March 10. 2020, and were surprised with needing no help to do so.

Jul 16, 2021 | Real Patient Stories

Jill & Rikki

After years of disconnect, my husband and I "met," and we knew we were going to get married and expand our family right away. We had three kids combined already. After months of trying, we turned to Boston IVF in November 2019. In March 2020, the COVID pandemic put a halt to our journey. Once we were able to restart treatment in June 2020 and failed IUIs, we slowly gave up hope. On our next IUI cycle, my body over responded to treatment send we were given two options: abandon the cycle or convert to IVF.

Scared and having to make a quick decision, we looked to faith and knew converting to IVF would get us closer to our baby. I remember being so nervous from going into the egg retrieval to watching the embryo being implanted with only hope and faith this cycle would be successful. I remember Bryna calling me telling me the IVF was successful! I stood in the bathroom at work crying, then calling my husband to tell him the good news! Bryna was with us every step of our journey, and you could hear the excitement in her voice for us.

After almost two years, we were going to meet our baby! Because COVID and limited sites were open, we had many 5 am drives to Waltham for cycle testing. It became a part of life. But everyone in the Boston IVF family made you feel like just that.. Family. We welcomed our healthy baby boy, Anthony, at 8lb 10oz on May the 4th, 2021. We are so blessed!

Jul 07, 2021 | Real Patient Stories

Audrey & Stacia

My name is Audrey and my wife’s name is Stacia - we’ve been together for 10 years married for three. We had always discussed how we would love to be parents but thought it was such an expensive, out-of-reach dream for us. I also had an unexplained infertility diagnosis that followed me from a previous relationship where we had tried to conceive for three years. I recently started a new career at New Balance manufacturing and the winter of 2019. During my orientation when my HR manager was discussing the health benefits infertility coverage was brought up. This surely caught my attention and I questioned her about the coverage. She didn’t have all the details but could tell me just enough to give us some hope.

From that moment on we set our eyes forward that we were going to do this, that we were going to try to have a child. The first thing that I had to do was get my body healthy, I had a very high BMI, so I needed to get that right first. I joined a gym and started eating healthier, I focused all my energy on that for about a year. I lost about 30 pounds which got me to a lower BMI that would make for a more successful chance of conceiving! I also joined a TTC support group for the LGBTQ community, reached out to a lesbian couple that conceived via IUI at my company. I also contacted several people who left reviews on the Boston IVF’s website. I was taking in as much information as I could about our upcoming journey. Our trying to conceive journey was put on hold for a short time while we bought our house.

After we were all settled we finally did it, we made the call to Boston IVF the Portland center, and set up our first consultation. We went for our first consultation in January 2020, and we saw Dr. Ben Lannon. He was so comforting and reassuring to speak with. We found out my insurance would cover IUI 100% We set up an unmedicated and unmonitored cycle for our first round. I was so nervous but he reassured us we needed to start somewhere. I contacted my local OB and set up baseline cycle bloodwork and an HSG scan before we started our first cycle. We skipped my February cycle due to us not feeling quite ready then we started cycle day one in March. We chose our anonymous no option ID donor sperm From New England cryo-genic and had it sent to Boston IVF. They gave us free storage for 90 days. I had gotten my positive ovulation test on a weekend after work hours.

I was nervous that we wouldn’t be able to try this cycle, but I reached out to Boston IVF and they got me right and the next morning. We had our first intrauterine insemination on March 19 of 2020. Two days prior to this my work had furloughed me and the country went into quarantine due to the coronavirus pandemic. Our emotions were all over the place trying to be so excited for our first chance at having a child but also so scared and nervous at the same time to see what was happening to the world. Two weeks later I took a pregnancy test and to our disbelief it was positive! We were ecstatic and overjoyed but trying not to celebrate too soon. We called Boston IVF to let them know of our positive pregnancy test and set up our first ultrasound.

Our first ultrasound was on April 12, 2020. I had to go in alone, masked, and afraid of what would or wouldn’t be. Boston IVF was gracious enough to let us live video chat during this ultrasound where we saw one perfectly healthy little heartbeat at 171bpm. From this moment forward I had a very healthy pregnancy and birth. It was nerve-racking for a while going into appointments alone and not having my wife there experiencing many first moments of our daughter’s life. Pregnancy during a pandemic was hard and lonely but I was so fortunate that I was able to have my wife there during the birth.

Our baby girl Andersyn Rae Evangeline was born December 9th, 2020 at 10:48 pm 6lbs2oz 20 inches long. Healthy as can be and 1 day before her due date. I am so grateful for the entire Boston IVF team because without them we wouldn’t have our little girl!