IVF FLORIDA Patient Story: Haroula

Physician: Marcelo Barrionuevo, M.D.
Diagnosis/Treatment: 1 retrieval/ 2 transfers

Tell us about your journey to parenthood.
My husband, Andrew, and I got married in 2016 and started trying to start a family in 2017. We tried for about 15 months unsuccessfully before we made our first appointment with Dr. Barrionuevo. From our first appointment and every interaction/appointment since that first one, we always felt like we were in good hands. 

I felt like the whole team was so caring and informative. They took time to answer all our questions and make sure we understood everything. The process is time-consuming and requires a lot of coordination, but the team makes it so easy and ensures you know what’s going on every step of the way. I appreciated that anytime I had a question, I was able to get my questions answered promptly. The use of the patient portal is a great tool for communication. For every procedure I had, I felt the staff was caring, compassionate, and kind. You almost feel like you have a whole team of cheerleaders wanting to see you to the end. 

We were very fortunate that our first (and only) retrieval was successful, and at the end of all the testing and cycles, we had 5 healthy, strong embryos. We transferred our first one in early 2019, and a few weeks later found out we were pregnant. I had a great, easy pregnancy and in December 2019, we delivered a healthy baby boy. 

A few years later in 2022, we decided we wanted to expand our family, so back to IVF Florida and Dr. Barrionuevo. Again, our experience was amazing. This time we only had to do a transfer of another one of our embryos. The staff once again was so impressive and made the experience as seamless as possible. I did have to have a minor surgical procedure in the office before my transfer this time, and everything went well. 

In early 2022, we then transferred our second embryo, and a few weeks later I was pregnant again. I had another great pregnancy, and in November of 2022, we had our second baby boy. 

Any advice?
IVF isn’t an easy process, but you must trust the process and remain positive. I think support from your friends and family is important as well. And you must take care of yourself; exercise, eat well, and relax! 

What were some highs/lows?
I don’t think there were any lows. I felt very fortunate to have this as an option and to have such a great medical team. 

Would you like to give a shoutout to our team?  
I think Dr. Barrionuevo is an angel. He is so fantastic and made us feel so comfortable with everything.