Comments on: Our IVF Success http://blog.fertilitycentermi.com/2008/04/15/our-ivf-success/ Providing exellence and education in infertility care. Thu, 08 Sep 2011 00:39:08 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 By: Todd & Kristi http://blog.fertilitycentermi.com/2008/04/15/our-ivf-success/#comment-1506 Todd & Kristi Sun, 13 Feb 2011 21:07:05 +0000 http://mireproductive-blog.ddmnet.com/2008/04/15/my-first-test-entry/#comment-1506 What a blessing and answer to prayer that on our first IVF cycle we became pregnant. Everything went so smooth and Dr Dodds, Dr Young and staff are great to work with. We had our first ultrasound 2 weeks ago and were able to see the heart beat of our little miracle. We are so thankfull to Dr Dodds and the work they do, the IVF coordinator's are awesome and so helpful. Thanks again for making our dream a reality! What a blessing and answer to prayer that on our first IVF cycle we became pregnant. Everything went so smooth and Dr Dodds, Dr Young and staff are great to work with. We had our first ultrasound 2 weeks ago and were able to see the heart beat of our little miracle. We are so thankfull to Dr Dodds and the work they do, the IVF coordinator’s are awesome and so helpful. Thanks again for making our dream a reality!

]]> By: Eric and Sarah http://blog.fertilitycentermi.com/2008/04/15/our-ivf-success/#comment-1088 Eric and Sarah Sun, 06 Jun 2010 18:04:33 +0000 http://mireproductive-blog.ddmnet.com/2008/04/15/my-first-test-entry/#comment-1088 At 28 I wanted to be a mom and I thought that it would be so easy to achieve. Month after month went by and I couldn't understand why I couldn't get pregnant. After almost 3 years of trying other procedures, I had IVF and was blessed on my very first cycle with a twin pregnancy. Eight weeks into pregnancy, one of the twins stopped developing but I went on to have a healthy baby girl. She is now 6 years old and my little miracle. I went through a divorce when my daughter was 2 and was fortunate enough to meet Eric. We were married in 2008 and had talked about having children but based on my difficulties with trying to conceive, we knew that it may not be possible. Three months after we were married I became pregnant without any fertility treatments. Our excitement became heartbreak when I miscarried at 11 weeks. We took some time off and decided to start trying again after about 8 months. I thought it would be easy but once again, I found myself unable to conceive. At 38, my FSH levels were high and we weren't sure if we would be able to conceive. I had Invitro in May 2010 and didn't stimulate well at all. I had 4 eggs retreived and I prayed that some of those eggs would fertilize. On the day of my retrieval, we found out that 2 had fertilized and were very good quality. We were excited yet nervous because we had hoped to be able to freeze some embryos but with only 2 it wasn't an option. We had both tranferred and waited the longest 12 days. We found out we are pregnant. It is very early in the pregnancy so while we are very excited, we are nervous too. We are so thankful to Dr. Dodds and Dr. Young and their staff for helping us through this journey. We are also thankful to God for answering our prayers. I wanted to share this because I was blessed with my daughter after my first IVF cycle and now 7 years later my 2nd IVF cycle has given us hope that we will add to our family. At 28 I wanted to be a mom and I thought that it would be so easy to achieve. Month after month went by and I couldn’t understand why I couldn’t get pregnant. After almost 3 years of trying other procedures, I had IVF and was blessed on my very first cycle with a twin pregnancy. Eight weeks into pregnancy, one of the twins stopped developing but I went on to have a healthy baby girl. She is now 6 years old and my little miracle. I went through a divorce when my daughter was 2 and was fortunate enough to meet Eric. We were married in 2008 and had talked about having children but based on my difficulties with trying to conceive, we knew that it may not be possible. Three months after we were married I became pregnant without any fertility treatments. Our excitement became heartbreak when I miscarried at 11 weeks. We took some time off and decided to start trying again after about 8 months. I thought it would be easy but once again, I found myself unable to conceive. At 38, my FSH levels were high and we weren’t sure if we would be able to conceive. I had Invitro in May 2010 and didn’t stimulate well at all. I had 4 eggs retreived and I prayed that some of those eggs would fertilize. On the day of my retrieval, we found out that 2 had fertilized and were very good quality. We were excited yet nervous because we had hoped to be able to freeze some embryos but with only 2 it wasn’t an option. We had both tranferred and waited the longest 12 days. We found out we are pregnant. It is very early in the pregnancy so while we are very excited, we are nervous too. We are so thankful to Dr. Dodds and Dr. Young and their staff for helping us through this journey. We are also thankful to God for answering our prayers. I wanted to share this because I was blessed with my daughter after my first IVF cycle and now 7 years later my 2nd IVF cycle has given us hope that we will add to our family.

]]> By: jennifer and dan http://blog.fertilitycentermi.com/2008/04/15/our-ivf-success/#comment-1077 jennifer and dan Fri, 14 May 2010 17:17:12 +0000 http://mireproductive-blog.ddmnet.com/2008/04/15/my-first-test-entry/#comment-1077 I'm entering my 8th month of pregnancy with my second IVF baby. Our first child was born from our very first IVF fresh cycle. After years of trying I couldnt believe it worked the first time. We became so in love with being parents we couldnt wait to try again. Six months after my daughter was born I became pregnant on our first try with our remaining frozen embryos. As I trip over toys while assembling a second crib I couldnt imagine 5 years ago that our lives could have turned out this blessed. Thanks to Dr Dodds and Dr Young we have everything we ever wanted so far! Our hands will be full for a while but in 2-3 years we plan to be back to hopefully complete our family and fill the final bedroom in our home! I’m entering my 8th month of pregnancy with my second IVF baby. Our first child was born from our very first IVF fresh cycle. After years of trying I couldnt believe it worked the first time. We became so in love with being parents we couldnt wait to try again. Six months after my daughter was born I became pregnant on our first try with our remaining frozen embryos. As I trip over toys while assembling a second crib I couldnt imagine 5 years ago that our lives could have turned out this blessed. Thanks to Dr Dodds and Dr Young we have everything we ever wanted so far! Our hands will be full for a while but in 2-3 years we plan to be back to hopefully complete our family and fill the final bedroom in our home!

]]> By: Mahya W http://blog.fertilitycentermi.com/2008/04/15/our-ivf-success/#comment-1072 Mahya W Thu, 29 Apr 2010 17:27:27 +0000 http://mireproductive-blog.ddmnet.com/2008/04/15/my-first-test-entry/#comment-1072 I just finished another congratulatory phone call with Dr. Dodds and he urged me to share my story on this blog. My husband and I dated for 6.5 years before we were married (high school sweethearts). We both wanted to have children as soon as possible so we began to try before my Master's degree was even completed. Long story short, we were unsuccessful for 3 years. I was extremely depressed, couldn't stand to see other pregnant women especially all of my friends who were having UNPLANNED pregnancies right and left. Testing revealed that our case was that of male-factor infertility and the only chance to have a baby was via IVF. I was excited to finally have a diagnosis but scared to undertake this treatment. The Fertility Center (Then Michigan Reproductive) was the clear choice. The combination of their prices and their success rates are unrivaled. It was not a smooth start for us...In my fresh cycle; my estradiol levels skyrocketed to over 14,000. No that is not a typo. After all of the injections and anticipation, I would not be able to go to transfer. To go to retrieval would be to risk ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome and this decision was left to me. I didn't want to be left with no hope for the cycle, so I went to transfer. I hyperstimulated severely. It is just one of those risks. It was extremely painful. I had chest pains, difficulty breathing and allot of pain and discomfort. When my body finally calmed down, I was able to transfer some frozen embryos. However, their quality was poor. Sitting in recovery after the transfer, all I could do was cry. There was not much hope and it did not work. I went for a second frozen transfer. Again embryo quality was very poor and it was not successful. I had never been in such a state of despair in my entire life. Insurance as is often the case, did not cover this for us. To give you the non-sugarcoated reality, I had very little will to live. I was scaring my husband with my degree of depression and I refused counseling because as I put it, "Unless the counselor has 30 grand for me, or a baby...they can't help me". That was my honest state...the ugly reality of my feelings. Even though I still had embryos left, Dr. Dodds recommended a new fresh cycle. My medication levels were adjusted to anticipate my abnormal response. Never lose hope. That fresh cycle produced good embryos and I became pregnant with my Son...then a couple years later from the frozen embryos of the second cycle, I became pregnant and had my happy, cuddly daughter...and then a couple years later I am now pregnant with my third child (or third and fourth...I haven't had the first ultrasound yet : ) From that second cycle, we have been successful at every try. I exclaimed to my husband...I can't believe I am pregnant again! He looked at me and smiled and said, "If only you could have heard yourself 5 years ago, you never would have believed it." It is true; I would not have believed it. So take my story and let it be a warm blanket of hope to wrap around you should you be in despair... and JUST KEEP GOING!!! I just finished another congratulatory phone call with Dr. Dodds and he urged me to share my story on this blog. My husband and I dated for 6.5 years before we were married (high school sweethearts). We both wanted to have children as soon as possible so we began to try before my Master’s degree was even completed. Long story short, we were unsuccessful for 3 years. I was extremely depressed, couldn’t stand to see other pregnant women especially all of my friends who were having UNPLANNED pregnancies right and left. Testing revealed that our case was that of male-factor infertility and the only chance to have a baby was via IVF. I was excited to finally have a diagnosis but scared to undertake this treatment. The Fertility Center (Then Michigan Reproductive) was the clear choice. The combination of their prices and their success rates are unrivaled. It was not a smooth start for us…In my fresh cycle; my estradiol levels skyrocketed to over 14,000. No that is not a typo. After all of the injections and anticipation, I would not be able to go to transfer. To go to retrieval would be to risk ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome and this decision was left to me. I didn’t want to be left with no hope for the cycle, so I went to transfer. I hyperstimulated severely. It is just one of those risks. It was extremely painful. I had chest pains, difficulty breathing and allot of pain and discomfort. When my body finally calmed down, I was able to transfer some frozen embryos. However, their quality was poor. Sitting in recovery after the transfer, all I could do was cry. There was not much hope and it did not work. I went for a second frozen transfer. Again embryo quality was very poor and it was not successful. I had never been in such a state of despair in my entire life. Insurance as is often the case, did not cover this for us. To give you the non-sugarcoated reality, I had very little will to live. I was scaring my husband with my degree of depression and I refused counseling because as I put it, “Unless the counselor has 30 grand for me, or a baby…they can’t help me”. That was my honest state…the ugly reality of my feelings. Even though I still had embryos left, Dr. Dodds recommended a new fresh cycle. My medication levels were adjusted to anticipate my abnormal response. Never lose hope. That fresh cycle produced good embryos and I became pregnant with my Son…then a couple years later from the frozen embryos of the second cycle, I became pregnant and had my happy, cuddly daughter…and then a couple years later I am now pregnant with my third child (or third and fourth…I haven’t had the first ultrasound yet : ) From that second cycle, we have been successful at every try.
I exclaimed to my husband…I can’t believe I am pregnant again! He looked at me and smiled and said, “If only you could have heard yourself 5 years ago, you never would have believed it.” It is true; I would not have believed it. So take my story and let it be a warm blanket of hope to wrap around you should you be in despair… and JUST KEEP GOING!!!

]]> By: Angela and Justin http://blog.fertilitycentermi.com/2008/04/15/our-ivf-success/#comment-1025 Angela and Justin Sat, 19 Dec 2009 15:36:40 +0000 http://mireproductive-blog.ddmnet.com/2008/04/15/my-first-test-entry/#comment-1025 As I sit here writing this, I am amazed and grateful for the science, dedication, and kindness that everyone at the Fertility Center has shown us for the past six months. Our process was three years long from the time we decided we wanted kids, to discovering that it would be nearly impossible without medical intervention, to several rounds of Clomid, an unsuccessful fresh transfer, and finally a successful frozen transfer resulting in twins! There were many times where I thought it just wasn't meant to be, but with the encouragement of the doctors and a sense of hope, my husband and I decided to not give up so easily. After hearing their two strong heartbeats, seeing their arms and legs, and experiencing the joy of two babies developing, I am so glad that we tried again. People would ask why we were putting ourselves through all the emotions again after failing the first time--everything, every step of this journey, has been worth it to get here. Thank you for our two amazing Christmas presents! As I sit here writing this, I am amazed and grateful for the science, dedication, and kindness that everyone at the Fertility Center has shown us for the past six months. Our process was three years long from the time we decided we wanted kids, to discovering that it would be nearly impossible without medical intervention, to several rounds of Clomid, an unsuccessful fresh transfer, and finally a successful frozen transfer resulting in twins!
There were many times where I thought it just wasn’t meant to be, but with the encouragement of the doctors and a sense of hope, my husband and I decided to not give up so easily. After hearing their two strong heartbeats, seeing their arms and legs, and experiencing the joy of two babies developing, I am so glad that we tried again. People would ask why we were putting ourselves through all the emotions again after failing the first time–everything, every step of this journey, has been worth it to get here. Thank you for our two amazing Christmas presents!

]]> By: Buffy And Chad http://blog.fertilitycentermi.com/2008/04/15/our-ivf-success/#comment-95 Buffy And Chad Fri, 06 Feb 2009 19:38:59 +0000 http://mireproductive-blog.ddmnet.com/2008/04/15/my-first-test-entry/#comment-95 Dr. Dodds and Dr. Young and staff THANK YOU!!! You are truely the best. We first came to you in May of 2008 and after going through the process and being delayed because of your office move (lol) we did the retrieval and transfer in August of 2008, Being the 2nd couple to have this done at your NEW location, and our FIRST attempt at IVF it was succuessful. It was kind of a slow go at first, but now our baby is growing just fine, I am 26 weeks and 4 days now and our baby is due May 11, 2009. This is my husbands first child and we couldn't be happier. Your entire staff was so great with everything they did for us, the honesty and respect we received allowed us to relax and trust your skills. I am so thankful to have been refered to your office. I would highly recommend any person wanting another baby after a tubal ligation (like me) to try IVF at your office. Its the best feeling to see that little baby on the ultrasound screen after thinking your not going to have any more children because of a tubal ligation. What you do for people is really a special gift you have and I want to say thank you for sharing it with us! I will be sending you a picture of our baby as soon as she is born!! Dr. Dodds and Dr. Young and staff THANK YOU!!! You are truely the best. We first came to you in May of 2008 and after going through the process and being delayed because of your office move (lol) we did the retrieval and transfer in August of 2008, Being the 2nd couple to have this done at your NEW location, and our FIRST attempt at IVF it was succuessful. It was kind of a slow go at first, but now our baby is growing just fine, I am 26 weeks and 4 days now and our baby is due May 11, 2009. This is my husbands first child and we couldn’t be happier. Your entire staff was so great with everything they did for us, the honesty and respect we received allowed us to relax and trust your skills. I am so thankful to have been refered to your office. I would highly recommend any person wanting another baby after a tubal ligation (like me) to try IVF at your office. Its the best feeling to see that little baby on the ultrasound screen after thinking your not going to have any more children because of a tubal ligation. What you do for people is really a special gift you have and I want to say thank you for sharing it with us! I will be sending you a picture of our baby as soon as she is born!!

]]> By: Jennifer http://blog.fertilitycentermi.com/2008/04/15/our-ivf-success/#comment-85 Jennifer Mon, 20 Oct 2008 05:47:29 +0000 http://mireproductive-blog.ddmnet.com/2008/04/15/my-first-test-entry/#comment-85 Thank you to Dr. Dodds and their staff for all they did to help us try to conceive. For us it didnt work but it ultimately led to us forming our family through the miracle of adoption. Now I see that our journey through infertility, as painful as it was, led us to our son. We were at his birth and have an open adoption. Now we wouldnt have it any other way. We can honestly say we're grateful for the inability to conceive because we wouldnt have our precious son. He is the light of our lives. Thank you to Dr. Dodds and their staff for all they did to help us try to conceive. For us it didnt work but it ultimately led to us forming our family through the miracle of adoption. Now I see that our journey through infertility, as painful as it was, led us to our son. We were at his birth and have an open adoption. Now we wouldnt have it any other way. We can honestly say we’re grateful for the inability to conceive because we wouldnt have our precious son. He is the light of our lives.

]]> By: Matt and Julie http://blog.fertilitycentermi.com/2008/04/15/our-ivf-success/#comment-82 Matt and Julie Sat, 11 Oct 2008 03:09:40 +0000 http://mireproductive-blog.ddmnet.com/2008/04/15/my-first-test-entry/#comment-82 Tommorrow I will start my shots for our 2nd FET! We are very excited about this because of our extremely great success in the past! We had tried several IUIs without success and then decided to take a break. But we kept thinking about the possibility of IVF and after much prayer and consideration we decided to try it. After some complications in the beginning, we found out that I was pregnant with twins on our first attempt. Wow! it was truly amazing. I went full term for twins and gave birth to healthy baby girls, 6lbs. 1oz. & 7lbs. 14oz. Three years later we deciced to try again with our remaining 6 frozen embryos. The FET went very smoothly. We used two of our remaining embryos and gave birth to one healthy 9lb. 1oz. baby girl! Which leads us to our 3rd attempt (2nd FET), which we pray will also be a success! We are truly thankful to Dr. Dodds and Dr. Young for their expertise and knowledge of infertlity and for their great kindness and compassion in every step of the process. We were truly blessed in our experience at this place and we thank God every day for our three beautiful girls! Tommorrow I will start my shots for our 2nd FET! We are very excited about this because of our extremely great success in the past!

We had tried several IUIs without success and then decided to take a break. But we kept thinking about the possibility of IVF and after much prayer and consideration we decided to try it. After some complications in the beginning, we found out that I was pregnant with twins on our first attempt. Wow! it was truly amazing. I went full term for twins and gave birth to healthy baby girls, 6lbs. 1oz. & 7lbs. 14oz.

Three years later we deciced to try again with our remaining 6 frozen embryos. The FET went very smoothly. We used two of our remaining embryos and gave birth to one healthy 9lb. 1oz. baby girl!

Which leads us to our 3rd attempt (2nd FET), which we pray will also be a success!

We are truly thankful to Dr. Dodds and Dr. Young for their expertise and knowledge of infertlity and for their great kindness and compassion in every step of the process. We were truly blessed in our experience at this place and we thank God every day for our three beautiful girls!

]]> By: Matt and Liz http://blog.fertilitycentermi.com/2008/04/15/our-ivf-success/#comment-81 Matt and Liz Mon, 29 Sep 2008 02:01:04 +0000 http://mireproductive-blog.ddmnet.com/2008/04/15/my-first-test-entry/#comment-81 We struggled for years, had practically every problem in the book! Then we had two cancelled IVF cycles with another RE who told us the only option left was egg donation, but he didn't have a program. We were just about ready to quit but saw Dr. Dodds because we'd heard great things about his practice. Dr. Dodds said he still had ideas and thought it was too early for us to give up on IVF. Sure enough, we got pregnant on our first cycle with him. From the moment he looked us in the eye and said I still believe you can do this, we knew we were in the right place! The whole office gives a feeling of relaxed confidence and hope. More than one person in that office spontaneously told us how happy they are to work for Drs. Dodds and Young, and believe me it makes a difference in your experience as a patient!! Every single person in that practice is just as kind and caring as you could ever hope. We never had a phone call or question that went unanswered. They can explain any part of the process, no matter how complex, in terms you can understand. They could not have been more supportive and committed to our success if we'd been their own family members. We owe our eternal gratitude to everybody there (Sandy, you too especially!!), and we'll see you for our remaining two embryos as soon as we can! We struggled for years, had practically every problem in the book! Then we had two cancelled IVF cycles with another RE who told us the only option left was egg donation, but he didn’t have a program. We were just about ready to quit but saw Dr. Dodds because we’d heard great things about his practice. Dr. Dodds said he still had ideas and thought it was too early for us to give up on IVF. Sure enough, we got pregnant on our first cycle with him. From the moment he looked us in the eye and said I still believe you can do this, we knew we were in the right place! The whole office gives a feeling of relaxed confidence and hope. More than one person in that office spontaneously told us how happy they are to work for Drs. Dodds and Young, and believe me it makes a difference in your experience as a patient!! Every single person in that practice is just as kind and caring as you could ever hope. We never had a phone call or question that went unanswered. They can explain any part of the process, no matter how complex, in terms you can understand. They could not have been more supportive and committed to our success if we’d been their own family members. We owe our eternal gratitude to everybody there (Sandy, you too especially!!), and we’ll see you for our remaining two embryos as soon as we can!

]]> By: Jennifer and Dan http://blog.fertilitycentermi.com/2008/04/15/our-ivf-success/#comment-78 Jennifer and Dan Wed, 10 Sep 2008 23:22:09 +0000 http://mireproductive-blog.ddmnet.com/2008/04/15/my-first-test-entry/#comment-78 Do not give up hope! We tried to concieve for a long time and then found out I had endometriosis which was making it difficult. I had a laparoscopy and tried 3 cycles of Clomid after that. With no luck we were referred to Dr Dodds. We then did 3 cycles of clomid with IUI and one cycle of injectables with IUI. We felt it was time to move on to IVF. After my first IVF I am now pregnant and everything is looking good. Dr Dodds and Dr Young will NOT give up if you don't. After years of trying I was pregnant within 6 months of walking through their doors. That is a true success story. Both Doctors tried so hard to make us comfortable and keep our hope alive. We could never thank them enough. We are expecting one child and are very excited. Although we have "graduated" we will be back for our frozen embyos when we are ready to add to our family again! Do not give up hope! We tried to concieve for a long time and then found out I had endometriosis which was making it difficult. I had a laparoscopy and tried 3 cycles of Clomid after that. With no luck we were referred to Dr Dodds. We then did 3 cycles of clomid with IUI and one cycle of injectables with IUI. We felt it was time to move on to IVF. After my first IVF I am now pregnant and everything is looking good. Dr Dodds and Dr Young will NOT give up if you don’t. After years of trying I was pregnant within 6 months of walking through their doors. That is a true success story. Both Doctors tried so hard to make us comfortable and keep our hope alive. We could never thank them enough. We are expecting one child and are very excited. Although we have “graduated” we will be back for our frozen embyos when we are ready to add to our family again!

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