The road to finding fertility success
Kandace’s fertility journey began long before she walked into our Las Vegas fertility center. For 10 years, she and her husband Timothy had dreamed of becoming parents. But nothing worked. Kandace has polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a hormone disorder that can prevent women from ovulating, the essential first step in pregnancy.
Kandace visited obgyn after obgyn. Each prescribed rounds of medication to stimulate ovulation, and when that failed, they suggested she visit a fertility specialist. As committed as Kandace was to finding fertility success, she still hesitated. She said, “One of my biggest fears was going in and being told there was nothing that could be done.”
Finding a fertility team
One day at work, Kandace overheard a conversation that would change her life. A colleague was speaking with a client who had recently given birth. The client explained that her pregnancy had been made possible through in vitro fertilization (IVF). At that moment, Kandace thought, “I’m 33 years old. I better get on the ball with this.”
Kandace started looking for practitioners with experience and high success rates. She selected our Las Vegas fertility center and made an appointment. Kandace and Timothy met with Bruce Shapiro MD. He confirmed Kandace’s PCOS diagnosis and recommended IVF. “It was scary to go in,” she said, “but everyone was friendly and reassuring. You’re used to doctors’ offices feeling a little distant. At The Fertility Center of Las Vegas, the staff is cheering you on.”
Heartbreak before finding fertility success
After receiving hormone therapy, Kandace’s ovaries produced many eggs that were successfully retrieved for IVF. One of the resulting healthy embryos was transferred to Kandace’s uterus, where it implanted. But Kandace’s pregnancy soon ended in a miscarriage. The team tried again. The next embryo transfer also resulted in pregnancy, but she had another miscarriage.
She said, “I wanted a baby so badly, so it hurt to think it wasn’t going to happen. After the miscarriage, Dr. Shapiro kept telling me it wasn’t my fault enough times that it was almost annoying. But when I came home, I started running everything through my head and blaming myself. I realized that is why he kept telling me that. He’s the first doctor to ever give me a hug!”
The rest of the staff helped raise Kandace’s spirits, too. “Roshanda, the women doing the blood draws and all of the ultrasound techs were wonderful. They were always kind to me throughout the good and the bad.”
After the miscarriages, Kandace and Timothy met with Dr. Shapiro. He was concerned that Kandace could have an underlying health issue that was preventing them from finding fertility success. He took a biopsy of Kandace’s uterine tissue and it revealed that she had a mild uterine infection. “You couldn’t tell just by looking that there was this infection. I liked that he didn’t keep transferring embryos, but went to look for the cause of the miscarriages.”
Kandace underwent treatment for the infection until Dr. Shapiro was satisfied that her uterus was healthy. Despite the painful loss of her earlier pregnancies, Kandace said, “It was nice to know there was a correctable issue.”
With the support of the staff and their family, Kandace and Timothy decided to try one more embryo transfer. Once again, Kandace became pregnant. She was excited, but nervous. This time, they found success. In early 2018, the couple welcomed their long-awaited baby girl.
Recently, Kandace ran into the woman whose fertility journey inspired her own so many months before. As they talked, she revealed that she too had found success at our Las Vegas fertility center. “I had no idea!” Kandace said.
When asked what she would tell others on their journey toward finding fertility success, Kandace answered, “Don’t be scared! I would not have my daughter now if I had not taken a chance with the fertility center and Dr. Shapiro.”
