Before my diagnosis, life was busy and full of purpose. As an emergency department nurse, my world revolved around caring for others in their most vulnerable moments. My husband, as a police officer, shared that same calling to serve and protect his community. Together, we worked long shifts, leaned on each other through stress, and dreamed of starting a family to balance out the chaos of our careers.
On the outside, it looked like we had everything lined up; fulfilling jobs, a strong marriage, a handsome golden retriever and a clear vision of the future. Never did we imagine that something as natural as building a family would be the very thing we’d struggle with. I first realized something might be wrong after experiencing a miscarriage, a heartbreaking loss that left us shocked and devastated. We thought it was just a setback and that with time, we’d be able to conceive again naturally. Both of us were healthy, with no medical explanation for why it wasn’t happening. But month after month went by, and the positive test we longed for never came. That’s when we began to understand that something deeper was going on.
Finding fertility care at SGF
I had previously been with another fertility clinic and went through multiple rounds of treatment that, unfortunately, weren’t successful. After that experience, I wanted a fresh start somewhere that had both strong success rates and a reputation for compassionate care. That’s what led me to Shady Grove Fertility. I was looking for a team who could not only give me the best chance medically but also support me emotionally through the process.
That led me to Dr. Tara Budinetz.
Dr. Budinetz, gave me hope when I felt like I had none. She was my biggest cheerleader, so loving and so caring. I still remember the day she called to tell me that none of my embryos had made it to the blastocyst stage. It was devastating. But instead of just delivering bad news, she told me, “I’m going to get you a baby. It’s not going to be easy, but I will get you a baby.” Those words became my lifeline. How did I get so lucky to have her by my side? She didn’t just treat me medically; she walked every step of the journey with me. She cried with me, she laughed with me, and she felt every emotion I felt. That kind of compassion and support gave me the strength to keep going, even when I didn’t think I could.
Parenthood is possible
I was in treatment with SGF for about 10 months, but before that I had already spent 2 years undergoing fertility treatments at another clinic. I had been diagnosed with unexplained infertility and went through 1 retrieval and 3 failed embryo transfers. When I came to Dr. Budinetz, she took a different approach. She identified that egg quality was my true challenge, and with her guidance we were able to get amazing quality embryos from a retrieval. On my very first transfer with her, I became pregnant with our baby girl.
The lows were devastating, the failed cycles, the heartbreak, feeling like my body just couldn’t do what it was supposed to. But the high? The high was having a doctor who believed in me, who gave me hope again, and who ultimately gave me my daughter.
My advice to future patients is to hold onto hope, even on the hardest days. The path may look different than you imagined, but your dream of becoming a parent is still possible. Don’t give up, you’re stronger than you know. The journey may not be easy, but it’s worth it.
