A dream to become parents comes true with help from IVF for unexplained infertility

As a NICU nurse and a teacher, Kara and Nathan dedicated their careers to nurturing children. However, when they wanted to start a family, things didn’t go as planned.

After a year of trying, the couple didn’t have any luck. Thankfully, their luck would change when they came to Texas Fertility Center (TFC). There, they met Dr. Allison Petrini and had multiple IUI cycles and IVF for unexplained infertility.

The journey to conceive gets off to a rocky start before finding TFC

Before coming to our South Austin fertility center, Kara made an appointment with her OBGYN.

“Due to my age, my OBGYN suggested seeing a fertility doctor,” Kara recalls. “Unfortunately, the way my doctor suggested it was not the best. She said, ‘You may just have bad eggs,’ and I was left shocked and traumatized by those words. Thankfully, she had also suggested TFC.”

The recommendation to visit TFC was approved by Kara’s long-time best friend. She was seeing another TFC doctor for secondary infertility, “so choosing TFC was easy.”

The couple ultimately came to our South Austin fertility center for its proximity to their home. Here, they matched with Dr. Petrini. “We could not have been luckier. She was the perfect person, along with her team, to help us with this process,” Kara says.

Starting the process to conceive with multiple IUI cycles

Before diving into fertility treatment, the couple underwent diagnostic testing. These tests included bloodwork and an HSG for Kara, and a semen analysis for Nathan.

When no problems were discovered, Dr. Petrini diagnosed the couple with unexplained infertility. She recommended starting with intrauterine insemination (IUI), partially because “the costs were so much different for IUI than IVF.”

However, the couple still wasn’t pregnant after three consecutive IUI cycles. At this point, they decided to take a break.

During this time, their beloved 12-year-old dog Dempsey was diagnosed with lymphoma. After helping him through surgery and chemotherapy, the couple was ready to try again. They had no idea that two years later, Dempsey would be healthy and their future daughter’s best friend.

Finding success and joy with help from IVF for unexplained infertility

The couple returned to Dr. Petrini to try again for their miracle baby. Due to the cost difference, they tried two more IUI cycles. After no success, Dr. Petrini went over the cost and likelihood of success with in vitro fertilization (IVF). The couple was cautiously optimistic about the odds they were given of conceiving.

This talk inspired the couple to make the move to IVF for unexplained infertility. They were pleasantly surprised when Dr. Petrini retrieved more eggs than expected. Out of 16 eggs, nine of them were successfully fertilized in the lab. By Day 6, three of them developed into embryos.

Genetic testing showed that all three embryos were genetically healthy. “We were initially hoping to get at least one embryo out of the process, so we felt very encouraged by getting three,” Kara says.

The couple didn’t want to know the gender of the embryos and told the TFC team to “choose the healthiest and strongest” embryo to transfer.

Kara and Nathan “were so nervous but so excited and hopeful” after their first embryo transfer. After playing the pregnancy test waiting game, they learned they were pregnant from IVF for unexplained infertility.

“I recorded the call so that I can always remember that moment when I heard, ‘Congratulations! You are pregnant,’” Kara says. “It was a phrase we had waited years to hear at that point.”

Experiencing the joys of pregnancy and parenthood

Dr. Petrini monitored Kara’s pregnancy for the first 10 weeks at our South Austin fertility clinic. After their “fertility clinic graduation,” Kara switched to the care of a new OBGYN; one who was highly recommended by a work colleague.

Kara didn’t experience morning sickness, but she was diagnosed with gestational diabetes early in her pregnancy. Her OBGYN and MFM took excellent care of her, and Kara enjoyed “getting extra ultrasounds to see [the] baby along the way.”

Due to Kara’s gestational diabetes diagnosis, her OBGYN recommended inducing labor in Kara’s 39th week of pregnancy.

The process was initiated, ironically, on Labor Day, but Penelope June wasn’t born until the next day, after a C-section. After 12 hours in the NICU (in the same unit where Kara works), the couple finally got to hold their bundle of joy.

“Getting to hold her for the first time when she came to be in my room was the most incredible moment. I was immediately in love and obsessed,” Kara recalls.

Sharing advice for parents and praise for TFC

Kara and Nathan’s journey to conceive showed the importance of not blaming yourself for infertility. It can be hard to wonder “what-if” along the way, but these thoughts “don’t do you any good.”

According to Kara, “You did nothing wrong to bring this upon yourself, and you deserve the happiness you long for.”

The couple also highly recommends that hopeful parents visit Texas Fertility Center. They describe their experience at TFC as “nothing but amazing.”

“We loved the team and are grateful for how thoughtful they were along the way. They are so conscientious of people’s feelings,” Kara says. “I truly felt their joy for us when we finally got our baby. It felt like a family.” The TFC team would love to help you have your own fertility success story. Contact us to schedule an appointment and learn how.