Persistence pays off: One patient’s path to pregnancy after 40

When Dora Ezie was 40 years old, she and her husband set out on a journey to have a baby. As is all too common for couples trying for pregnancy after 40, the natural approach didn’t lead to a positive pregnancy test. So, Dora started looking for a fertility center, and one day decided to pop in and visit Texas Fertility Center’s Austin area fertility clinic, which she passed on her way to work each day. That day, she made an appointment with Dr. Anthony Propst, the next step on a long road to parenthood for Dora and her husband.

Dr. Propst ordered fertility testing, which revealed that Dora had very few viable eggs remaining. On his recommendation, the couple started with a front-line fertility treatment first: intrauterine insemination, or IUI. Unfortunately, two cycles of IUI were unsuccessful.

Dr. Propst felt that it was time to move on to IVF, so Dora began the process of taking medications and coming into the office for monitoring prior to egg retrieval. Dr. Propst was able to retrieve five eggs, resulting the transfer of two embryos to Dora’s uterus, followed by a two-week wait before learning the results of her pregnancy test.

“I got a call from the TFC nurse, who told me, ‘I’m sorry, your test came out negative, and you are not pregnant,” Dora recalls. “I could feel she had so much empathy for me. She offered to give me some time to decide if we would consider using donor eggs, and she was surprised that I came to a decision in just a few seconds. I’m not the kind of person who will sit and cry. I had wanted to try my own eggs first, but looking at the money involved and knowing my eggs weren’t viable, that wasn’t something I wanted to keep trying. I was ready to do it right then. So, she put Dr. Propst on the phone, and he said we could try it.”

Moving forward with donor eggs

Dora soon met with the coordinator of TFC’s in-house donor egg program, who provided a list of egg donors to choose from. Dora was disappointed when the donor she selected opted not to move forward, but fate intervened in an unexpected way when a co-worker heard her story and offered to donate her own eggs.

Because her friend was nervous about injecting medications, Dora used her lunch break at work to drive across Austin to her donor’s office to administer the necessary injections herself. Despite her own busy life with work and raising young children, Dora’s generous friend never missed an appointment at TFC.

This time around, 24 eggs were retrieved, and in the end, one embryo was available for transfer.  Dora and her husband opted to have that embryo tested using PGT-A, or preimplantation genetic testing for aneuploidy. The test result led to more uncertainty, as the embryo was classified as mosaic, containing both chromosomally normal and chromosomally abnormal cells.

“When I got that call, I wanted to know more,” Dora says. “I asked about our options and was told that if we transfer this embryo, it may not work. I decided I would take my chances. At my next appointment with Dr. Propst, he said, ‘Dora, it’s going to be fine.’ He gave me so much hope and faith. I was not giving up. This was my last chance.”

Two weeks after the embryo was transferred, Dora was thrilled to get a call from her TFC nurse with good news.

“She said, ‘You are pregnant!,” Dora says. “I believe we both jumped up and down while on the phone. After that, the journey really began.”

A happy ending for a pregnancy after 40

Despite taking exceptional care to stay healthy during the pregnancy, one day during the third month, Dora started bleeding. She immediately called Dr. Propst, who rushed her into the office. Concerned about miscarriage, he placed Dora on bedrest. A few weeks later, her water broke, and she was admitted for a long-term hospital stay and cerclage procedure to extend the pregnancy as long as possible.

During that time, Dora endured ongoing loss of amniotic fluid, painful contractions, and fear that the baby would be born too premature to survive. But, she made it all the way to six months, giving her baby a fighting chance. Little Munachi came into the world weighing just one pound and spent his first six months of life in the neonatal intensive care unit. But like Dora, this little boy was a fighter.

“It was really challenging, especially when COVID hit, and people couldn’t visit me,” Dora says. “But, I brought my baby home, and now he is a healthy, strong boy. He’s six years old now, and he’s so smart.”

Dora is grateful to Dr. Propst and the team at TFC’s Austin area fertility clinic for helping to bring her son into the world, despite the odds.

“The TFC team is amazing,” she says. “They are kind, they are patient, and they pay attention. Even when I am upset, they are calm. They are empathetic professionals. I give them 100 kudos.” Dora’s own persistence also played a big role in her family’s success story. She offers one important piece of advice for parents hoping for a successful pregnancy after 40:  “I tell other prospective parents, don’t give up. Be positive. You have nothing to lose, so keep pushing.”