Sarah & Dustin

Dustin and I met in college on a blind date in 2008 and we were set up by two mutual friends. We then came to find out we were living one floor apart and we had gone to the same high school, but had never met! We are both introverts so it took a long time for us to warm up to each other, but we both knew from the beginning that we were made for each other!

Starting our journey at SGF

My husband and I began our journey with Shady Grove Fertility in August of 2016. We had known for years that we would need assistance when the time came for us to have a baby. In 2011, my husband was diagnosed with stage 2 rectal cancer so, between the chemo, radiation, and multiple surgeries, we knew that we would need the help of SGF.

We were referred by Dustin’s surgeon to Dr. Paul Shin. He determined that in order for us to begin the IVF process, Dustin would need to have a procedure done to extract his sperm. We were both very worried that Dr. Shin would come back and tell us that he was unable to find any viable sperm. However, the procedure was a great success and we were able to freeze multiple vials! Once we knew the procedure was a success, Dr. Shin referred us to Dr. Lauren Roth and I started my preliminary tests and exams to rule out any fertility issues on my end.

Also, we are very happy to report that Dustin is still cancer-free and very healthy.

Starting treatment

Since we knew from the beginning that we were dealing with male factor infertility, we were able to jump right to IVF. Treatment, in the beginning, was totally overwhelming. I decided that I was going to administer the shots myself, which was very daunting. Once I got the hang of how to administer the meds and understood the process of monitoring and what everything meant, things moved along very smoothly through each cycle. The egg retrieval process was by far the most challenging of all. It took me longer than I expected to bounce back and not feel so uncomfortable. We started with a fresh cycle and had one embryo to freeze. The fresh cycle failed, so we proceeded with an FET cycle. That one also failed.

Trying again

My husband and I actually never gave it a second thought whether or not we were going to try again after the first and second failed attempt. We knew that our odds were good and we would eventually conceive. It was just a matter of trying to get my body to respond to the stimulation meds in the best way possible to increase the quality of the eggs. For our second fresh IVF cycle, Dr. Roth had me change my medications to see if that would make my body respond differently.

Throughout this process, we remained hopeful that at some point, we would be blessed with the baby we had dreamed of having. Between Dr. Roth and our nurse Toni, our options were always made very clear, as was each step of the process. They also were so positive even when things didn’t go as planned.

So, we started a new fresh cycle. This time, we had 6 embryos! We transferred one and froze the remaining 5.

The best voicemail ever

I remember having my last transfer the day before my grandmother passed away. The next couple of days were filled with a lot of different emotions and I had started to notice that I was feeling very uncomfortable, but thought it was from the grieving process. However, it was actually due to ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). I ended up going back into the office to see Dr. Roth and she told me that getting OHSS in the time frame that I did was a good sign that I could be pregnant.

So, they went ahead and did the beta test and I remember waiting for that phone call was torture! I went to work after my appointment and found it very difficult to focus on my students. I finally got the call from Dr. Roth right at lunch time, but I missed her call, so she had to leave a voicemail. I must have listened to that voicemail a hundred times before I truly believed the words she said! We were finally pregnant!!

Our miracle boy

My pregnancy was very easy. Morning sickness wasn’t really much of an issue, which I was so thankful for! Towards the end, especially the days after my due date while I was still waiting for my little guy, I was very uncomfortable, but it was so worth it. Labor and delivery also went very smoothly and there were no complications.

Our story ends with a beautiful and healthy baby boy! I was due on December 31, 2017 and my little guy made his appearance on January 5, 2018. Everything that we went through to get this little boy was worth it and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. It was such an amazing thing seeing our little boy grow from a bunch of cells into our sweet little baby. That is the silver lining for having to go through IVF!

Advice for future patients

For future patients, I would tell them to trust their doctors and nurses. They are the professionals and will help find the right option for you to give you the best chance of success. It is easy to get discouraged, especially when things don’t happen according to your schedule or timeline.

Remember to take care of yourself and take time to focus on something other than your next injection, next monitoring appointment, or procedure. Find a new hobby, go out on a date with your spouse, start a new project around the house.

Anything to take your mind off the “what ifs.” Remember that you are NOT broken, you are strong and you can handle this!

You have joined an amazing community and you have us all cheering you on!