How one couple grew their family with help from treatment for tubal fertility issues
Thanks to Nashville Fertility Center, Megan and Keith are the proud parents of Maisie and Garrett. However, after welcoming their son and daughter, they knew their family wasn’t complete. Their journey to welcome their son Connor picks up where their tubal fertility issues story left off at our Tennessee fertility clinic.
When the couple first visited Christine Whitworth MD, they learned that Megan had one damaged fallopian tube and one that never fully formed. Much to their surprise, Dr. Whitworth recommended fallopian tube removal.
“It seemed strange at first that removing part of me would help me conceive, but she explained that my damaged tubes were creating a hostile environment for a pregnancy. She also showed us the statistics, so we put our trust in her,” Megan explains.
The couple was glad that they followed their doctor’s advice because it led to them welcoming a daughter and son through in vitro fertilization (IVF). After one failed frozen embryo transfer (FET) between Maisie and Garrett, the couple still had three frozen embryos, so they decided to take the next step to grow their family.
IVF helps the couple overcome tubal fertility issues and welcome another baby
Megan and Keith came to our Tennessee fertility clinic to have another FET at the end of December 2019. After thawing and transferring one of the embryos in January 2020, Dr. Whitworth had Megan return for bloodwork 10 days later. It was then that the couple learned they were having another baby.
“They continued to do bloodwork over the next few weeks and saw that my hormone levels (HCG) were rising slowly. However, they were concerned that they weren’t rising enough, so we remained cautiously optimistic,” Megan explains. “We had a five-week ultrasound and saw the gestational sac, but we didn’t really feel relieved until we heard the heartbeat at the eight-week scan.”
Megan remained under Dr. Whitworth’s care until 10 weeks of gestation. At that point, she transitioned her prenatal care to her OBGYN – in Michigan.
The couple had long wanted to return to their home state, so they made the leap when Keith received a job offer there. “It was quite an adventure to move while pregnant during a pandemic,” Megan recalls. “My husband moved when I was about five weeks along, but I stayed in Nashville to keep visiting Dr. Whitworth until I moved to my OBGYN.”
In September 2020, the couple was settled in Michigan when they welcomed their youngest son, Connor. “There was a lot of uncertainty with treatment and the pandemic, but Dr. Whitworth and Martha [my nurse practitioner] gave me support and helped me stay positive,” Megan says.
Offering advice and hope to other patients
When Megan first learned that she had tubal fertility issues, she felt “broken” and “grieved not being able to have children the way that other people did.” However, she has since learned that everyone has struggles and more people than she realized face infertility.
According to Megan, “In addition to having a network of supportive people, reading other patients’ stories was very helpful when I was struggling. That’s why we decided to share our story. We hope it helps other people like us.”
When asked for her best advice for going through fertility care during the pandemic, Megan stressed the importance of positivity. “It can be especially trying to go through treatment during a pandemic but try to stay as positive as possible. And don’t forget that you’re stronger than you give yourself credit.”
Her other piece of advice for hopeful parents? Visit our Nashville Fertility Center. “The whole team is so positive and caring. They help you with every step, and they have so much information and knowledge to share,” Megan explains.
If you would like to learn more about how our Tennessee fertility clinic team can help you welcome a baby, we invite you to contact us. Our entire team is here to support hopeful parents on the journey to parenthood.