In 2011 we began our journey to start a family. What we expected to be so easy
turned out to be the hardest obstacle we have had to face as a couple. After six
months of trying to conceive I decided to see my OBGYN to see if there was
anything causing us not to be pregnant yet. She ran blood work, did ultrasounds
to monitor my cycle, and told me to start tracking ovulation. All of my blood work
came back normal, but I was not ovulating. I began taking Clomid to try to trigger
ovulation. After four more months of still not getting pregnant she ordered an HSG
test to see if my tubes were blocked. The test came back normal also. We had my
husband’s sperm tested and all those tests came back normal too. After a year of
trying to conceive she suggested we do an exploratory laparoscopy surgery to get
a better idea of what may be going on. She came out of surgery and told my
husband and mom that she never expected to see endometriosis that bad. I had
not complained of any pelvic pain, which should have been accompanied with my
endometriosis condition. After healing from the surgery, she suggested if we
wanted to get pregnant quickly we should seek fertility options.
In April 2013, we met with a Reproductive Endocrinologist and he was very
optimistic about our case. Based on all the tests that had been done, it would
suggest I have no problems conceiving. The only test that indicated fertility
problems was my ovarian reserve level was low, but still within the means of being
able to produce eggs with treatment and get pregnant. We began our first IVF
cycle the following month. We got a decent number of eggs, all fertilized and 3
blast. We transferred 2 fresh embryos on day 3 and froze the 3 blast embryos. We
were devastated to find out that the embryos did not take. The doctor believed we
would have a better chance doing a frozen transfer. Two months later we
transferred two frozen embryos and found out we were pregnant! We shared the
news quickly with our families only to realize we had not overcome all the
obstacles yet. My HCG levels never progressed and the pregnancy was considered
a chemical pregnancy/ early miscarriage. The doctor then suggested I may have an
egg quality issue. He recommended another IVF cycle, genetically testing the blast
embryos, and doing a frozen transfer. Two months later we did our second IVF
cycle. We had another decent cycle, getting a good amount of eggs, most
fertilizing and 3 blasts. The genetic testing found only 1 embryo was viable. The
doctor then recommended we do a third IVF cycle to get more embryos in freezing
as he believed this good tested embryo would lead to a pregnancy and we
wanted more in reserve for later. Two months later we did our third IVF cycle.
Similar outcome as the other cycles, getting a decent amount of eggs, strong
fertilization rate, and 2 blast embryos. Both embryos tested good. In Dec 2013 we
transferred 2 frozen embryos (1 from our 2nd IVF cycle and 1 from our 3rd IVF
cycle) leaving 2 embryos from previous cycles in freezing. We found out 2 days
after Christmas that neither embryo took and we were not pregnant. At this point
we were extremely discouraged. We were losing confidence in our doctor, fertility
treatment, and our dedication to having a family at whatever cost. We decided we
would do one more frozen transfer with our doctor and if it did not work we would
seek treatment elsewhere.
In Jan 2014 we started preparing for the last frozen transfer. Two weeks before
the transfer I found out I had a cyst in my left tube and needed surgery again. We
cancelled the cycle and did another laparoscopy. My left tube was clipped,
endometriosis removed again, and a hysteroscopy & D&C done to prepare my
uterus for better implementation outcome. We planned to transfer our last two
frozen embryos the next month. In the meantime we had made appointments with
other doctors to have a game plan if this transfer did not work. We met with Dr.
Peng on Feb 25, 2014 and were told to cancel our transfer cycle and let him run
more tests. The tests he wanted to do were all tests I had read about, asked my
doctor about and was told there was no need. We decided to trust Dr. Peng and
his treatment plan as it was different than our previous doctor and he was willing
to consider all factors of our infertility and not do anything until he figured out
what was going on. My Natural Killer Cell level was elevated, I had a blood clotting
disorder that could cause embryos not to implant, and I needed more aggressive
hormonal treatment when we did the frozen transfer. Dr. Peng was very realistic
with us from the beginning, being hopeful, but never giving us false hope. He was
upfront that the embryos we had in freezing were not the best quality appearance
and why they were the last to be transferred. We did another hysteroscopy and
D&C in April 2014 and transferred our last two embryos in June. One embryo was
genetically tested good (from our 3rd cycle-boy) and one embryo never tested
(from our 1st cycle- gender unknown). We found out on June 19th that we were
pregnant! We tried to keep our excitement even kill until we knew my HCG levels
had adequately risen, we had our first ultrasound to see the sac and we got to
see heartbeat. We did a panoramic test (genetic blood test) at 10wks to make
sure we had a viable pregnancy. The outcome certainly would not have changed
anything for us, but we wanted to be prepared early on if we would be
encountering a difficult pregnancy. We found out on August 7th that the genetic
test came back good and we were having a little girl. That meant the embryo that
took was the embryo left from our very first cycle that was never genetically tested
(because the other one transferred had been genetically tested and was a boy)
that our first doctor would never transfer because he said the quality was not as
great. We truly had our miracle.
On February 16, 2015 at 11:18am we welcomed our daughter, Kaitlyn Grace Rath.
She was 8lbs 1oz and 20.5 inches long. Infertility struggles and treatment is
physically, mentally, spiritually, and financially draining. It is hard to understand
such a difficult condition that you have no control over. I never realized just how
demanding the treatment would be until we started our journey. The countless
appointments, shots, and hormonal rollercoaster can be very overwhelming. I
recommend couples going through fertility struggles and treatment reach out to
family and friends for support and prayer. We did not share our struggles with
others for almost 2 years and we felt so alone going through everything. By having
a support outlet it helped us keep our spirits high and stay the course of our
treatment. We have learned so much about ourselves, our marriage, and our
spirituality by facing such a life challenge. We would not change any part of our
journey to now have our miracle baby. Every tear shed was worth what we are
experiencing now as parents of a beautiful baby girl.
We are so thankful for a friend that referred us to IVF Institute. Dr. Peng was
thorough, patient, and realistic with our treatment. He did everything medically
possible to give us our little miracle baby. We were honored to be asked to share
our story with others and hope that we can help stay encouraged through their
treatment.
Kelli R
turned out to be the hardest obstacle we have had to face as a couple. After six
months of trying to conceive I decided to see my OBGYN to see if there was
anything causing us not to be pregnant yet. She ran blood work, did ultrasounds
to monitor my cycle, and told me to start tracking ovulation. All of my blood work
came back normal, but I was not ovulating. I began taking Clomid to try to trigger
ovulation. After four more months of still not getting pregnant she ordered an HSG
test to see if my tubes were blocked. The test came back normal also. We had my
husband’s sperm tested and all those tests came back normal too. After a year of
trying to conceive she suggested we do an exploratory laparoscopy surgery to get
a better idea of what may be going on. She came out of surgery and told my
husband and mom that she never expected to see endometriosis that bad. I had
not complained of any pelvic pain, which should have been accompanied with my
endometriosis condition. After healing from the surgery, she suggested if we
wanted to get pregnant quickly we should seek fertility options.
In April 2013, we met with a Reproductive Endocrinologist and he was very
optimistic about our case. Based on all the tests that had been done, it would
suggest I have no problems conceiving. The only test that indicated fertility
problems was my ovarian reserve level was low, but still within the means of being
able to produce eggs with treatment and get pregnant. We began our first IVF
cycle the following month. We got a decent number of eggs, all fertilized and 3
blast. We transferred 2 fresh embryos on day 3 and froze the 3 blast embryos. We
were devastated to find out that the embryos did not take. The doctor believed we
would have a better chance doing a frozen transfer. Two months later we
transferred two frozen embryos and found out we were pregnant! We shared the
news quickly with our families only to realize we had not overcome all the
obstacles yet. My HCG levels never progressed and the pregnancy was considered
a chemical pregnancy/ early miscarriage. The doctor then suggested I may have an
egg quality issue. He recommended another IVF cycle, genetically testing the blast
embryos, and doing a frozen transfer. Two months later we did our second IVF
cycle. We had another decent cycle, getting a good amount of eggs, most
fertilizing and 3 blasts. The genetic testing found only 1 embryo was viable. The
doctor then recommended we do a third IVF cycle to get more embryos in freezing
as he believed this good tested embryo would lead to a pregnancy and we
wanted more in reserve for later. Two months later we did our third IVF cycle.
Similar outcome as the other cycles, getting a decent amount of eggs, strong
fertilization rate, and 2 blast embryos. Both embryos tested good. In Dec 2013 we
transferred 2 frozen embryos (1 from our 2nd IVF cycle and 1 from our 3rd IVF
cycle) leaving 2 embryos from previous cycles in freezing. We found out 2 days
after Christmas that neither embryo took and we were not pregnant. At this point
we were extremely discouraged. We were losing confidence in our doctor, fertility
treatment, and our dedication to having a family at whatever cost. We decided we
would do one more frozen transfer with our doctor and if it did not work we would
seek treatment elsewhere.
In Jan 2014 we started preparing for the last frozen transfer. Two weeks before
the transfer I found out I had a cyst in my left tube and needed surgery again. We
cancelled the cycle and did another laparoscopy. My left tube was clipped,
endometriosis removed again, and a hysteroscopy & D&C done to prepare my
uterus for better implementation outcome. We planned to transfer our last two
frozen embryos the next month. In the meantime we had made appointments with
other doctors to have a game plan if this transfer did not work. We met with Dr.
Peng on Feb 25, 2014 and were told to cancel our transfer cycle and let him run
more tests. The tests he wanted to do were all tests I had read about, asked my
doctor about and was told there was no need. We decided to trust Dr. Peng and
his treatment plan as it was different than our previous doctor and he was willing
to consider all factors of our infertility and not do anything until he figured out
what was going on. My Natural Killer Cell level was elevated, I had a blood clotting
disorder that could cause embryos not to implant, and I needed more aggressive
hormonal treatment when we did the frozen transfer. Dr. Peng was very realistic
with us from the beginning, being hopeful, but never giving us false hope. He was
upfront that the embryos we had in freezing were not the best quality appearance
and why they were the last to be transferred. We did another hysteroscopy and
D&C in April 2014 and transferred our last two embryos in June. One embryo was
genetically tested good (from our 3rd cycle-boy) and one embryo never tested
(from our 1st cycle- gender unknown). We found out on June 19th that we were
pregnant! We tried to keep our excitement even kill until we knew my HCG levels
had adequately risen, we had our first ultrasound to see the sac and we got to
see heartbeat. We did a panoramic test (genetic blood test) at 10wks to make
sure we had a viable pregnancy. The outcome certainly would not have changed
anything for us, but we wanted to be prepared early on if we would be
encountering a difficult pregnancy. We found out on August 7th that the genetic
test came back good and we were having a little girl. That meant the embryo that
took was the embryo left from our very first cycle that was never genetically tested
(because the other one transferred had been genetically tested and was a boy)
that our first doctor would never transfer because he said the quality was not as
great. We truly had our miracle.
On February 16, 2015 at 11:18am we welcomed our daughter, Kaitlyn Grace Rath.
She was 8lbs 1oz and 20.5 inches long. Infertility struggles and treatment is
physically, mentally, spiritually, and financially draining. It is hard to understand
such a difficult condition that you have no control over. I never realized just how
demanding the treatment would be until we started our journey. The countless
appointments, shots, and hormonal rollercoaster can be very overwhelming. I
recommend couples going through fertility struggles and treatment reach out to
family and friends for support and prayer. We did not share our struggles with
others for almost 2 years and we felt so alone going through everything. By having
a support outlet it helped us keep our spirits high and stay the course of our
treatment. We have learned so much about ourselves, our marriage, and our
spirituality by facing such a life challenge. We would not change any part of our
journey to now have our miracle baby. Every tear shed was worth what we are
experiencing now as parents of a beautiful baby girl.
We are so thankful for a friend that referred us to IVF Institute. Dr. Peng was
thorough, patient, and realistic with our treatment. He did everything medically
possible to give us our little miracle baby. We were honored to be asked to share
our story with others and hope that we can help stay encouraged through their
treatment.
Kelli R
Patients Testimonials
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Several Representative Patient Testimonial Samples are Shown Below.