Ashley & Tim

By Ashley & Tim

Despite how common it is, the stigma around infertility is still prevalent.

One of the hardest things I’ve ever faced was being brave enough to say I wanted a family, only to be told I might not be able to have one. With our diagnosis, a baby was not a guarantee. The waiting, the uncertainty, the heartbreak was heavier than I could have imagined in those months. IVF wasn’t just needles and procedures, it was the shift from saying “when we have a baby” to “if,” tucking away the baby onesie we once bought with hope, and learning to smile through innocent questions when I wanted to cry.

Through this journey, we learned resilience, patience, and how to sit with the unknown. Tim and I became stronger partners, better advocates for ourselves, and—though this path wasn’t the one we envisioned—more grateful for the science, the care, and the support that carried us here.

Was IVF hard? Mentally, yes. Physically, surprisingly, no. Surgeries, 100 days of shots, and 50 trips to our clinic were the easy part. We are the lucky ones. Lucky to see a positive test a year after our diagnosis. Lucky to have amazing insurance, access to care, and a circle of family and friends who supported us. Lucky to be stepping into parenthood with a depth of love and grit that only this journey could have given us.

Despite an unsuccessful cycle and a devastating early loss, we never gave up hope. As a friend reminded me, it was our tenacity and positivity that helped us achieve a successful outcome.

HOW DID YOUR BOSTON IVF PHYSICIAN AND NURSING TEAM HELP TO MAKE YOUR JOURNEY A SUCCESS?

Dr. Nesbitt was fantastic at listening to my concerns and trusting me to make the call when there were difficult choices. Nurse Erin was incredibly empathetic when I was dealing with loss and was always a voice of comfort on the other end of the line. Ultrasound tech Ashley was also outstanding during all of my monitoring appointments give me updates and talking me through each nerve wracking check.

WHAT WERE SOME HIGHS OR LOWS OF YOUR TREATMENT(S)? WHAT IS UNIQUE/DIFFERENT ABOUT YOUR STORY?

We have low retrieval rates for both IVF cycles, which was disappointing and surprising because we were dealing with male factor infertility. Our first round yielded one low grade embryo that didn't take, our second round yielded two embryos. One was a fresh embryo transfer that resulted in a miscarriage in February 2025 and the other was a frozen embryo transfer in may 2025 that ended up being our baby girl, Riley.

Our second cycle was supposed to be cancelled due to a low follicle count ahead of the retrieval. I bartered with the doctor and nurses to push forward and understood that it might not be a fruitful cycle. That cycle yielded double the amount of eggs from our first round and two embryos that successfully implanted.

When we were prepping for our FET, my uterine lining never got above the threshold for a successful pregnancy. Dr Nesbitt put the ball in my court as to whether we should risk transferring the embryo or hold off and try another round in the future. I went for it and on the day of the transfer, against the odds, my lining thickness had somehow increased and got above the threshold. The pregnancy stuck and resulted in our baby girl, Riley.

WHAT ADVICE DO YOU HAVE FOR OTHER STRUGGLING WITH INFERTILITY?

Advocate for yourself and do your own research. Don't be afraid to follow up or seem pushy. Trust your intuition and stay positive even in the face of boundless disappointments.