Pacific Fertility Center

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Diagnosis

A Journey to IVF
2 cycles Clomid

2 cycles Clomid/IUI

10 cycles injections/IUI

IVF

Success!

Gary and I were married in 1994. It was a fairytale romance and we knew we wanted children so we did not bother using contraception. But after two years we started getting anxious. We started actively trying by taking basal temperatures and timing ovulation. In my early 30th’s I went to the doctor for tests. He said I did not ovulate and that my ovaries made little eggs, not one big egg that a woman needs to ovulate. He prescribed Clomid.

On my second cycle of Clomid, I got pregnant. We were so happy. Then I had a miscarriage at nine weeks. It was the most horrible experience of my life. We knew we had to keep trying and we did.

We tried two more cycles of Clomid, but in conjunction with insemination (IUI). Gary held my hand each time, and again weeks later when I cried because it didn’t work.

Then our doctor suggested we see a specialist in the city. This specialist did not do IVF, but we didn’t think we needed it. So we had new hope. This time I had injections. We went through ten cycles of these shots with inseminations (IUI) for over two years. I had many tests during that time to confirm ovulation and Gary’s sperm quality. Each time the pregnancy test came back negative, I cried. My grief was enormous but my desire to have a baby grew stronger. Then we were told we would need IVF.

I researched fertility doctors in the bay area. Some offer miracles but are not board certified. Several phone calls led me to Carolyn Givens at Pacific Fertility Center. It was the best referral I ever got.

I met with Dr. Givens and explained my situation and medical history. She said she believed she could help. She gave me a timeline and procedure to follow. It included shots again, but this time we would do IVF.

The day of retrieval came quickly. I kissed Gary, went under and woke up looking at his face. The transfer took place 3 days later. Gary held my hand just like all those times before, except this time they put three healthy embryos inside of me.

I will always remember the feeling when the nurse called me and said "Good News! It’s positive!" After years and years of pills, test, shots, crying when it was negative, and avoiding the baby aisles in stores and mothers with carriages because my pain was so deep, I became pregnant.

I will always remember Dr. Givens and the other doctors, nurses and staff at PFC. I really liked the way the staff at PFC always treated me with respect, kindness and professionalism. They helped us to have our baby girl and to finally live "happily ever after!"
--- Kim, San Francisco, CA

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Embryo Adoption

My husband and I had always wanted children, but did not marry until age 40 (we are the same age). My mother had seven healthy children, the last one at age 40, so I had always assumed I would have no problem conceiving a child. We tried for several years, then had some tests done at my gynecologist's suggestion. A few problems were corrected, and we tried for another year, using an ovulation predictor kit. Finally, at age 45, we turned to Dr. Ryan for help.

We tried artificial insemination once, without success, and then immediately chose IVF with a donor egg, due to our age. We wanted the healthiest donor we could find, and we luckily found a woman similar to me in ethnic background, appearance, and many interests and traits. At age 46, we were blessed with a beautiful, very healthy full-term baby girl on our first IVF cycle. She is very active and alert, and ahead in most developmental milestones, yet doesn't sleep as many hours as the average baby, so we have our hands full.

Because I gave up my career to become a stay-at-home mom, we are now stretched financially. Due to our circumstances and age, when our baby was 5 months old we made the difficult decision to not try for more children. Having decided this, we wanted to give some other couple the chance to become parents, and give our apparently very healthy embryos a chance to develop into fetuses, and, hopefully, babies (born to people who want children as much as we do, but may not have the ability to conceive their own or pay donor, agency and donor meds fees). So with the help of Dr. Ryan, we put our 17 embryos up for adoption.
---L. F., Belmont, CA

It is our policy to match the extraordinary generosity of some of our patients, like the couple above, with eligible PFC patients who have tried to conceive, but have more or less reached the end of their rope. Everyone’s circumstances are unique. --Isabelle Ryan, MD

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Time for a donor

I have learned that things in life do not always turn out the way you might have thought that they would. What seems to be the "standard" life, may not be so easy to attain. I just turned 45 years old and have just found out that I am pregnant for the second time since working with Dr. Chenette. We have a four-year-old son who we conceived the "old-fashioned" way after Dr. Chenette removed a polyp from my uterus.

We wanted a second child, and somehow I thought that if we did it once, we could do it again. I have of lost track of the cycles, but over several years, we have done IVF at least 3 times with several incomplete cycles and hysteroscopies in between. After failing the 2nd IVF, egg donation came up in our meeting with Dr. Chenette. My husband was ready to do it the next day because the odds were much better. I was more hesitant and felt that I needed to try a 3rd IVF cycle with "my eggs" first. In the meantime, we entered counseling and I joined a donor support group.

The counselor was wonderful and so was the support group. The idea of egg donation grew comfortable for me as an option. After our 3rd cycle failed, we started looking for a donor. Although a strange process, something became clear. The look, the height, the intelligence etc., were not as important as just finding a nice, happy person who seemed to approach life the way that I do.

I looked for "nice eyes"- for I believe they tell you about a person. We found a donor and I really like her.

Now, everyone probably works through this process in their own way, and that is the point. To find what you and your partner are comfortable with, and to take it one day at a time. I try not to worry - it's easier and more fun to be positive. I envisioned myself at this point in my life to be like a Mrs. Cleaver with a couple of kids and a fancy hairdo like a grown-up. But I met my husband later in life (and learned a lot up until then...). I still feel young. I am healthy and we all really want a second child. We are hoping that it is meant to be, and we are grateful to Dr. Chenette, the special nurses (Sue, Ann, Pat, Carol and the rest), and the nice staff at PFC for their services and their support.
----A.W. in Oakland

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