Our Story

When I was about 13 years old, I set some personal goals for myself, as many young girls do. I had decided that I was going to get married at 25 and start having children at 27. When I met my now husband, Jason at 21, I knew he was the one and we were married one month after I turned 25. About a year later we started trying for a baby, and try, and trying some more, but no luck.

At 27, I began seeing a fertility specialist because they found a 9cm fibroid on my uterus that needed removed. The surgery went very smooth and were told to begin trying for a baby a few months later. Another year went by and still no baby. At this point, the sight of a baby or seeing my friends post on Facebook that they were pregnant would send me into a depression. That same year, my sister who had just gotten married, announced she was pregnant with her first child. As excited as I was to be an Aunt, it really hurt that she could get pregnant so easily, while I was struggling physically and emotionally. It was then I realized I can’t be upset with other people starting to have children, because them getting pregnant has absolutely nothing to do with why I can’t, so I became the best Aunt I could possibly be to my new nephew.

A year later we decided to do our first IUI. There were so many mixed emotions while we waited to be called into the room for our insemination. My name was called and we excitedly followed the nurse’s assistant down a long hallway. As we arrived at the room, I was told not to undress, but to wait for the nurse to come in because she needed to speak with us first. Worry immediately set in and then we got the news. Jason’s sperm count was only at 300,000, and the amount needed for a successful IUI was at least 10 million. We were devastated. Luckily, I was off work that day and Jason, being the wonderful, supporting husband he is, took the day off to comfort me. Jason went back to the doctor two weeks late for a full semen analysis, and this time his magic number was zero, but not sterile. We believe this was due to his diet and the fact that he had been taking testosterone for a few years because his was very low when we first started dating. The first order of business was for him to quit taking the testosterone and incorporate more fruits and vegetables into his diet. Two months later he went back to the doctor and his numbers were starting to climb. Another two months and there were even higher, high enough for us to try our first IUI the next month. Again, the wait, the long, walk, but this time I was told to undress from the waist down and when the nurse came in she showed us his numbers were at 103 million! Suddenly there was hope and we prayed this was our lucky break. My period was a few days late, but with each day there was another negative test and then as the stress began, so did a new menstrual cycle. Condolences came in the form of, “It will happen when it happens”, “it’s all part of God’s plan”, and “your still young, you have plenty of time.” While those words are meant to make one feel better about the situation, all it does is make me feel like I am doing something wrong, when I am a healthy 30-year-old woman. As the winter holidays passed, we decided it was time to give IUI another chance. This time my period came early and we decided it was time for a change.

A close friend who had also struggled with infertility had just announced she was pregnant and told us it was due to the doctors at Sher Institute for Reproductive Medicine, so without hesitation I made out first appointment with Dr. Zarek. They hit the ground running with blood tests, ultrasounds, more semen analysis. All our numbers were pretty good. She even said Jason has one of the highest sperm counts she has ever seen, but I had a few polyps and two more small fibroids, that meant another surgery. Again, the surgery went well, and we decided to give IUI a third and final try. Everything about IUI at Sher was different, but in a good way: precise and scientific. Jason’s numbers and motility were the best they have ever been, and this time we were confident it was going to work. I had eaten pineapple and avocado everyday leading up to it, stopped drinking alcohol and drank plenty of water; I did everything right. The last 4 days of the excruciatingly long two week wait arrived and I started feeling excited and exhausted all over and everyone told me that was a great sign. It was finally the day to take the test and I excitedly jumped out of bed, went to the bathroom, unwrapped the test and sat down. There was blood in my underwear. I didn’t even get a chance to take a test. I walked back into the bedroom, sat on the bed next to my husband, shook my head and sobbed. It had been a stressful week at work and I really needed some good news, but instead spent the day fighting back tears.

This month, with mixed emotions, we begin our IVF journey. I feel lost, overwhelmed, and excited. Dr. Zarek seems very confident she can make out dreams come true, and if she does, she will truly be my hero.