Patient Stories

Read more patient and staff stories at JoyforGenerations.com.

Patients Grow Family With Frozen Embryos
Shady Grove Fertility patients Virginia and Brad credit Shady Grove Fertility's Frozen Embryo Transfer (FET) success rates in helping them in building a healthy family.

An Unexpected Path To Parenthood
When one SGFC patient's path came to a crossroad, she relied on research and the support of family and friends to help her choose the right direction. She chose the route that not only provided her with  three children, but also gave her the foundation to help others along their journey.

27,000 Babies Born, And It All Began With 1
With the advances in medical science, every woman now has a chance of becoming a mother. This was not necessarily the case in 1991 when Sonja Sienkowski was in the middle of her fertility journey. Read about how Sonja overcame her infertility and gave birth to Shady Grove Fertility’s first IVF baby.

Patient Conqures the PCOS Challenge
SGFC patient Jennifer Donnell's story of overcoming PCOS is inspirational - not because she pole-vaulted over obstacles with determined optimism - but because she found a way to succeed.

Three Co-Workers, One Surprising Secret
Andrea couldn't imagine telling anyone about her infertility struggles, but when she learned that two of her co-workers were also having trouble conceiving, a bond was instantly formed.

Flossing, Sex & TBS - One Patient's Story
Everyone says that you become a grown-up when you have a child. For one Shady Grove Fertility patient, it was when she was told she couldn’t.

Paralyzed Patient and His Wife Deliver Healthy Baby Boy Following Treatment At SGF
Collin James Sharp was born December 8, 2010 to Jennifer and David Sharp of Richmond, VA. The 7 lb. 15 oz baby boy’s birth was made possible through a partnership between Shady Grove Fertility and the Cade Foundation.

Infertility Struggles Result In Healthier Habits
Weight has always been an issue for Jennifer Royston. But when it became the prime obstacle in trying to have a baby, Jennifer decided it was time to make significant lifestyle changes.

IUI Helps Couple Achieve Parenthood
After doing everything to track her cycle in order to get pregnant, Linda Bailey knew something was wrong. Referred by her OB to Shady Grove Fertility's Baltimore-GBMC office, Linda turned to Dr. Eugene Katz to help her. Little did she realize that a low-tech treatment option would be key to fulfilling her dreams.

How Can I Pay For Treatment? Let Me Count The Ways...
If you spend all of your money having a baby, how will you pay for raising the baby? And what if you spend the money and still don’t get a baby? Here are a few tips to help take money worries out of the equation.

Cancer Doesn't Stop The Dream of Parenthood
Michele overcame the ultimate roadblock during her fertility journey. She was not going to allow cancer to get in the way of her dream of having a child.

Three Unique Paths To Parenthood
In a recent survey conducted by Shady Grove Fertility 85% of all respondents said that if they had to do it all over again, they would have sought out fertility treatment sooner. Three SGFC patients discuss their fertility journey and provide advice on why it’s important for couples to see a specialist sooner rather than later.

Financial Grant Brings Couple's Dream To Life
With the help of a substantial financial grant from the Cade Foundation and treatment discounts by SGFC, Jennifer & David Sharp achieved their dream of parenthood through IVF.

Even 20-Somethings Need Fertility Treatment
SGFC patient Krista Hayes got tired of being told time and time again that she was too young to worry about infertility. Now, with two daughters born with the help of Shady Grove Fertility, she takes every opportunity she can to let other young women in on what was news to her: sometimes even 20-somethings need fertility treatment to have a baby

Patients Persevere Through Blizzard 2010
A double punch of bad weather may have paralyzed the Mid-Atlantic region for a week, but Shady Grove Fertility Center made sure that a couple feet of snow and some windy conditions didn't hinder the process of building families. Between the efforts of staff in the Rockville and Baltimore - GBMC office, more than 1,800 patients were able to keep their cycles on track.

From IVF Apprehension To Mom-To-Be
Even though Stephanie Nevin-McCoy knew the only way she and her husband Patrick could have a baby was through IVF, the 30-something was still hesitant about going through the process. Now pregnant with twin girls, Stephanie's outlook on high-tech reproductive therapies has changed thanks to the care she received at Shady Grove Fertility.

A Successful Journey To Parenthood
The infertility experience is often a catalyst for producing beauty out of pain. Lauren Braddock Havey book, A Journey to the Son, was her response to the rocky road that she and husband, Jim, embarked upon after learning in 2004 that their only chances for parenthood were through infertility treatment or adoption.

Frozen Embryos Help Build a Family
Three years after Patricia Bleignier-Baker gave birth to her daughter Grasyn, she and her husband Keith decided they were ready for another child. One of their frozen embryos were thawed, transferred and grew into their second daughter, Dylan. Read about Patricia’s journey and success with frozen embryo transfer.

Blogger Navigates the Land of Infertility
Prolific infertility blogger Melissa Ford is not only a patient of Shady Grove Fertility, but was also conceived with the help of a SGFC physician. After years of authoring one of the web’s hottest infertility blogs, she just published her first book on infertility. Read about her own fertility journey became the premise for her popular book.

The Long Traveled Road to Parenthood
For Maria and Maury Burgwin, their journey to parenthood was a long one that spanned six years and three states. The couple, who resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is more than appreciative of Shady Grove Fertility Center for helping to give them “their little miracle.”

Racing to Build Families
Shady Grove Fertility has partnered with the Cade Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides financial assistance to couple battling infertility, and will present the 4th Annual Race for the Family this September. Read about how this partnership came to be, and how you can help raise money to assist families trying to build their families.

100% Guarantee Draws Interest From Abroad
Much has been written about patients from the United States who travel abroad for medical services of all kinds, including fertility treatment. In an interesting switch, the 11 offices of Shady Grove Fertility have become a destination for patients from the United Kingdom seeking affordable access to high quality fertility care.

Why Egg Donors Donate
Many patients considering donor egg treatment often wonder what would motivate someone to donate their eggs. Many of the news stories about their motives leave readers with a cynical perspective and may even deter some fertility patients from considering their best options for getting pregnant. One egg donor is happy to share the other side of the story.

Financial Guidance Helps Patient
Nikol Flowers feels lucky. She’s a few weeks pregnant for the first time, and all it took was one IVF cycle -- well, that and a whole lot of perseverance and coordinated effort between her and the whole treatment team at Shady Grove Fertility, including her financial counselor.

Multiple Factor Infertility
Sally and her husband had to overcome many obstacles to successfully conceive their son. Read how Shady Grove Fertility Center’s clinical staff helped this couple’s dream come true.

East & West Provides Success
Jessica, like many of us, was skeptical about non-conventional medicine. After giving acupuncture a shot at the recommendation of her doctor, she found that not only was it helping her through yet another cycle of IVF, but it was having a surprisingly positive impact on her overall health.

Dawn's Story
Each couple’s infertility experience is different, but the underlying emotions are all the same. Read how Dawn and her husband embarked on a journey that they knew nothing about, and never imagined that they would have encountered.

The Drive to Survive
Stacy has already survived much for a woman in her 30's: her mother died from ovarian cancer, and now Stacy is battling the disease. Fertility was never an issue for this mother of a toddler, but now she's taking advantage of every opportunity to secure her chances at having another when she's cancer-free. Read Stacy's story to learn about the hope-instilling technology that cancer patients (and their oncologists) need to know about -- before having infertility-causing chemo or radiation.

Never a Better Time to Try
You waited until the time was right. Now you're starting to worry. Have countless months passed since you first starting trying to get pregnant? Dr. Gilbert Mottla says, "There’s almost no one who cannot benefit from today’s latest fertility treatments." Know the realities and the hope that connect age and fertility.

Big Enough to Care
When it comes to fertility care, you have choices to make. The first, most crucial element: Is your practitioner and support staff concerned about your treatment experience? Shady Grove patient, Judy G., details the interactions that sold her on SGF instead of a smaller clinic for treatment. “There’s a reason I drive as far as I do, to go to Shady Grove,” she remarks.

Perseverance Toward Parenthood
Sometimes even doing all the right things doesn't add up. Leslie Stagnato told her doctor of concerns about menstrual irregularities at the age of 18; she was told not to worry. By the time she was 25 and trying to conceive, she knew better and headed straight for the specialists. Leslie and her husband have been through a lot to pursue their dream of a baby -- and they're still not at their journey's end.

Trying To Stay Pregnant
Michelle and Jason did all the right things. So when their first pregnancy ended almost as soon as it began, they were shocked and saddened. After losing her second pregnancy, Michelle started to wonder if she would ever have a child. Now, she's experiencing the "tender loving care" approach at Shady Grove and finding the support and encouragement she needs to try again.

Often, Perseverance Is Not Enough
The personal upheaval and marriage strain of infertility can weigh anyone down. Not everyone has to go through the number of treatment cycles that Debbie and John did before finally having a baby. They found that different services offered at Shady Grove worked to ease their sense of burden and heal relationships with each other and their loved ones.

Male Factors Impede Conception
Some people have strong suspicions about their fertility problems long before they see a physician. Chris and his wife were concerned from the start because of his previous health conditions. When they finally sought the advice of a specialist, their fears were confirmed, but they also found new hope.

Many PCOS Patients Are Symptom-Free
Kim was a young wife doing all the right things to get pregnant, when she and her husband learned that their efforts to conceive were in vain. But treating Kim's PCOS didn't mean that she had to leave the trusted care of her long-time OB/gyn. Find out how physicians work together to provide the best diagnosis and treatment possible for infertility.

Trust, Communication Keys to Success
Shady Grove Fertility Centers are filled with staff who have their own stories to tell. Marketing Director Patty Stull's path to pregnancy led from her Ob/Gyn to fertility specialists and almost came to a halt there. The journey taught her lessons about communication, treatment, and trust. She and others use what they learned as patients to help Shady Grove Fertility meet more than just patient's medical needs.

Using Donor Eggs To Build A Family
Already in her late 30's and having spent her life's energy as a successful businesswoman, Gaye and her husband felt a stronger desire than ever to bring a child into their family. After two failed IVF cycles, Gaye and her husband successfully turned to donor egg to build their family.

Journey Through Infertility
After years of undiagnosed endometriosis and related tubal factor infertility, Salyer & Rhonda McLaughlin turned to IVF at Shady Grove Fertility. Daughter Ever Lee is the beautiful result.

Read more patient and staff stories at JoyforGenerations.com.