#infertility

Genetic testing, Dr. Bradford Kolb Bring this Couple Their Miracle

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Mary and James had been trying to conceive for eight years before being referred by their OBGYN to Dr. Bradford Kolb. The couple had seen other infertility specialists, including a clinic abroad, and had undergone unsuccessful IUI and IVF cycles–plus a heartbreaking ectopic pregnancy.

By the time they saw Dr. Kolb in fall 2015, the couple was considering surrogacy. “We thought our age was a factor, “recalled 42-year-old Mary. “But Dr. Kolb reviewed our records and ran some tests. He convinced us that everything looked good and was confident we could get pregnant via IVF.”

The couple really liked how Dr. Kolb took the time to listen and was hands on, which was a pleasant departure from their previous physicians. One would only see them a few minutes before handing them off to the staff. They also liked that Dr. Kolb was receptive to Chinese acupuncture, which made them feel less stressful and more relaxed.

At HRC Fertility, Mary and James underwent two cycles of IVF and had their embryos genetically tested. The remaining viable one became their son who was born last June. Every day since, they thank their lucky stars for this gift.

Mary advises other couples to do their homework to see if prospective clinics are a good fit for their needs and personalities. They also encourage others to have a game plan, as they did.

She explained, “We felt stressed during our previous IVF cycles. During our last one at HRC, we felt comforted knowing that we had a backup plan if it didn’t work. That really helped to reduce our stress levels.”

Even though they weathered much disappointment with other fertility clinics, Mary and James are grateful for having found Dr. Kolb–knowing he was the difference in helping them create their family.

HRC Fertility’s Encino Staff was an Emotional Lifeline

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Justine and Konrad were in their 20s when they first started trying to have a baby. Justine previously had been diagnosed with PCOS, so she knew it might take her longer to get pregnant. But after two  years without results, she decided to ask her OBGYN for help. Justine was prescribed Clomid to stimulate ovulation. It worked, but unfortunately, she suffered an early miscarriage

“That was the turning point for us,” Justine remembers. “We decided to seek the help of a specialist. Our doctor gave us the names of three or four infertility specialists, so I decided to do some online research. All of Dr. Robert Boostanfar’s reviews were very positive, and we took that as a good sign!”

The couple found Dr. Boostanfar easy to talk to and down to earth. At their first meeting, he had already read their history and felt confident in his ability to help them get pregnant.

Konrad echoes, “Our first impression of the Encino office was so positive. Everyone was super friendly. We could sense the staff liked working there; it seemed like a warm and supportive environment. The doctor met with us right on time, which we really appreciated since it was the middle of a workday.”

Dr. Boostanfar developed a game plan. First, he wanted to make sure Justine’s tubes were normal and ordered a hysterosalpingogram. He suggested pursuing intrauterine inseminations (IUI) before attempting anything more advanced.

Justine and Konrad underwent two unsuccessful rounds of IUI. Of course, they were heartbroken. After their second cycle, Dr. Boostanfar suggested they take a mental health break and they went on vacation.

“We could tell Dr. B was just as bummed as we were that our cycles had not worked,” the couple says. “Even the nurse who called about the negative pregnancy tests was so sincere. I could tell she was hurting for us.

“After we returned from vacation, we started acupuncture as a way to prepare for our third IUI. The doctor was open to anything that would help. The cycle was successful and we are now parents to Kennedy, who was born on March 16!”

They encourage other couples to stick with the plan and to keep going through the whole process, advising “You have to cope with the losses emotionally while simultaneously not forgetting you have a life. Taking care of ourselves, like going on vacation or using acupuncture, really helped us. Having the encouraging HRC Fertility staff to support us was also reassuring. We didn’t have a lot of people to talk to about our emotional roller coaster ride, so it was a blessing to be able to confide in them.”

At 29, this LA-based couple is hoping to return to HRC Fertility Encino for another round of treatment and, hopefully, to add to their family.

Frozen Embryo Twins

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Traci’s children Connor and Cassie are two years apart, yet their origins began at the same time in the HRC Fertility laboratory. Like many IVF babies, they are frozen embryo twins.

Traci and her husband began trying to get pregnant about a year after their 2011 wedding. When nothing happened, Traci sought the advice of her gynecologist. He found that her progesterone levels were too low to sustain a pregnancy. After several months of taking Clomid without getting pregnant, her doctor referred her to Dr. David Tourgeman at HRC.

Dr. Tourgeman initially suggested three rounds of IUI. When those didn’t work, the couple decided to undergo IVF, which resulted in the production of four embryos. Dr. Tourgeman transferred the two most viable embryos, one of which became Connor.

“After Connor’s first birthday, we decided to transfer the other two embryos, even though the prognosis for their development was not too optimistic,” recalls Traci. “There was only a 30 percent chance of pregnancy, but luckily one developed into our new baby daughter Cassie.”

Traci is very appreciative of the support she received from HRC, adding “The staff can make or break a patient’s experience because we’re all visiting the clinics so often. Most nurses at HRC are experienced in the fertility field, plus they had children of their own. They really understood how important this journey was to me.  Dr. Tourgeman and the whole staff excelled at explaining what we needed to know about my cycle to make it a success. Even though it was emotionally challenging, I knew we were in good hands at HRC.”

Traci is enjoying her new role as the busy mother of two young, active and healthy children. She is also thankful for the many wonderful resources that were available to her and her husband. Going forward, she hopes to be part of the conversation to help people talk more openly about infertility.

Finding the Right Fertility Clinic

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L. and A. didn’t start their fertility journey at HRC. In fact, initially they didn’t know that HRC even existed.

“We started with a clinic that seemed more like a baby mill,” L. explained. “It seemed like there were many unnecessary tests, and no one shared much of information with us. We’re pretty well-educated, so it wasn’t like we didn’t understand the medical terminology. But it was like pulling teeth to get information out of anyone. It seemed like all the clinic wanted was our money.”

The couple knew it was time to find another clinic, and their search led them to HRC and Dr. Robert Boostanfar. Once they became patients, they felt much more informed–even when the news wasn’t good. For example, they chose to quite halfway through their first cycle because L’s ovaries weren’t preparing enough eggs.

“It was disappointing because we saw signs of multiple follicles stimulated,” recalled L. “But then we started the drug regimen and I had fewer eggs. It was disappointing, even heartbreaking.”

But they didn’t give up, and two months later started a second IVF cycle that produced seven eggs and three viable embryos. Deciding how many embryos to transfer was difficult given the pros and cons to transferring too many or too few embryos. The important thing was that Dr. Boostanfar carefully mapped out the possibilities–including the best and worst case scenarios–which allowed them to make an informed decision.

“We were very happy with HRC and Dr. Boostanfar, and we ended up with the best case scenario–our beautiful twins.”