IVF FLORIDA Patient Story: Stephanie
Stephanie's journey to parenthood has been a testament to resilience, hope, and the power of medical science. In her previous update, she shared the challenges of navigating infertility due to her carrier status of Becker Muscular Dystrophy and the rollercoaster of emotions that came with rounds of IVF. Despite setbacks, Stephanie and her partner Kevin persevered, leading to moments of joy and heartache along the way. Now, as Stephanie prepares to share another chapter of her remarkable story, we join her in anticipation of what lies ahead.
In follow-up to the start of our first round of IVF in April 2023, we ended up with one viable embryo for transfer. On June 14, 2023, we went in for our transfer. The TWW (Two-Week Wait) was brutal.
Unfortunately, the embryo didn't stick. As we know, IVF doesn't always guarantee a baby. We were heartbroken, but I promised myself I would jump right into Round 2, as what else was my option but to keep moving forward? I spoke with Dr. G, and we discussed some of the medications we could modify, and he was okay with diving right back in.
We started our second IVF round in June 2023. Egg retrieval number two gave us 12 eggs, and five fertilized! In contrast, round one only had one fertilized. We were over the moon excited. By day six, 3 blastocysts were sent out for genetic testing. Two came back unaffected by Becker MD and euploid—one boy and one girl. We never thought we would be in the position to choose between a boy or a girl to transfer, but on September 6, 2023, our little boy embryo was transferred. On September 15, we received our HCG beta results of 162.7! They continued to double every 48 hours, and we were on our way to what we thought would be a normal, easy pregnancy. Ha. IVF was already a journey, but why would it get easier?
We graduated from IVF Florida on October 16, 2023. Scared to leave IVF Florida after all the support, but excited for what lay ahead. Every scan and checkup was going according to plan, until our 20-week anatomy scan. We got the good news that baby boy was healthy and on track. Then the bad news: I was dilating early. My cervix was opening. This is where I learned of Incompetent Cervix. I was scheduled for an Emergency Cervical Cerclage the next day to sew up my cervix and keep baby boy in as long as possible!
All of this was so scary and so new, but all we could do is keep the hope that all would go right in our procedure. Our goal was to keep him safe, at least until viability, to give him a fighting chance at life. I was placed on modified bedrest for the duration of my pregnancy, and it hasn't been easy. The constant fear of preterm labor every day made anxiety at an all-time high. I can happily and gratefully say that today we are approaching 31 weeks, and our baby boy is due at the end of May. Stay strong on your journey! It's a rollercoaster, but the outcome will all be worth it. 💙 Keep the hope.
-IVF FLORIDA Patient, Stephanie
