Thanks to all who came out to our very first Baby Reunion on Sunday, Sept. 9! No one let the rain dampen their mood at this very special event. Patients who achieve successful pregnancies with our treatment “graduate” to their regular OB/GYN after 10 weeks, so our docs may only get to see their patients’ babies on an ultrasound. This reunion gave them a chance to meet many of their patients’ kids in person for the first time.
When Brittany Meyer stopped taking birth control in August 2015, she had no reason to think she and her husband would have trouble getting pregnant. She had always been in good health, worked out regularly and maintained a healthy weight.
But several months passed without getting her period. Brittany’s regular gynecologist eventually diagnosed her with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), a hormonal abnormality that can make it difficult for a woman to ovulate and lead to infertility. Her doctor put her on medication to stimulate her ovaries, and she ended up getting pregnant in April 2016.
When an otherwise healthy young woman has irregular or infrequent periods, she likely has a hormone imbalance. One of the most common hormonal abnormalities is Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS).
About 10% of women of childbearing age are diagnosed with PCOS. In addition to irregular menstrual cycles, the condition is characterized by elevated levels of insulin and male hormone (androgen), which may cause acne or excess facial and body hair. But most women with PCOS can still get pregnant with proper treatment.
You’re finally pregnant. After months of trying, whether naturally or with the help of fertility treatments, you see that telltale pink line or plus sign on your home test. You’re taking care of yourself and doing everything right. But a few weeks later, your routine ultrasound doesn’t show a heartbeat. Or you feel some cramps and notice heavy bleeding, so you rush to the doctor to get tested, and she tells you you’ve had a miscarriage. You’re devastated, but still determined to start a family. After your body heals, you keep trying for a baby. But the cycle repeats. Hope turns to despair again and again after multiple miscarriages.
Being able to rely on a compassionate fertility expert meant so much to Mary and her husband on their journey to start a family. After a very long road and numerous obstacles, Mary gave birth to a beautiful baby girl in January 2017, thanks to Dr. Miriam Krause.
When Mary and her husband first came to Fertility and Endocrine Associates in November 2015, the couple had been trying to get pregnant for a year. After her husband’s semen analysis came back normal, Mary’s OB/GYN prescribed three cycles of Clomid, a common medication to stimulate ovulation. But this simple approach to treatment did not result in a successful pregnancy.
When you hear about cases of infertility in the news, much of the discussion focuses on women and the underlying issues that are making it difficult for them to get pregnant. But it’s not always the woman’s problem. In fact, only about one-third of infertility is attributed to the female partner, and one-third to the male partner. The other third is usually caused by a combination of both.
Are you experiencing pelvic pain, painful or heavy periods? About 6.5 million women between the ages of 15 and 44 who suffer from these symptoms have a condition known as endometriosis, according to Office on Women’s Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Endometriosis is especially common in women in their 30s and 40s, and it can make it more difficult to get pregnant.
Endometriosis occurs when the endometrium — cells on the inner layer of the uterus that are shed each month during your menstrual period — grow in other places, most commonly on the ovaries, the fallopian tubes and the lining of the pelvic cavity. These cells can also grow on the bowel surface, on the diaphragm (breathing muscle), and on very rare occasions, the lungs or the brain.
Most new moms call on their own mothers for advice and support when they have their first baby. But Dana Brown needed her mom’s special brand of expertise long before she came home from the hospital with her twin boys.
You see, Dana’s mother is Fertility and Endocrine Associates’ Nurse Practitioner and Clinical Director, Dr. Kit Devine. From an early age, Dr. Devine suspected it might not be easy for her daughter to get pregnant.
The holiday season can be a difficult time for couples who have faced challenges in their journey to start a family, whether that means they are unable to get pregnant, or they have suffered the loss of a pregnancy. It is normal to feel a heightened sense of emptiness and grief when you’re inundated with all the joyful faces of kids and families in movies, on TV and at the malls this time of year.
For many couples, grief is a natural byproduct of their infertility journey. When you hope for a pregnancy during a cycle of treatment and are disappointed, or when you experience the joy of conceiving a child only to lose the baby a few weeks later, you inevitably feel profound loss. With every unsuccessful treatment or miscarriage, your losses multiply and the grief can become overwhelming.
When Karen C. and Amanda C. decided to start a family together, they came to us for help. Here, Karen describes their journey to have a baby, and their positive experience with Dr. Krause during that process. We are so grateful to have been able to help bring a new life into this wonderful couple’s world.
I don’t wish anyone the physical, emotional and financial pain of infertility, but I wish everyone the experience of working with a medical staff as wonderful as the one we encountered at Fertility & Endocrine Associates.
