One couple shows it’s possible to overcome diminished ovarian reserve and have a baby
A fertility story that initially started with heartbreak ultimately led to joy after visiting Nashville Fertility Center to overcome diminished ovarian reserve. Elizabeth and Johnathan were overjoyed when they gave birth to their first child, Daniel. However, tragedy struck a few months later when Daniel passed away. Around this same time, Johnathan was in an auto accident that left him with several fractures and in a wheelchair. “It was a really dark time for us,” Elizabeth explains.
The couple struggled to conceive for five years before they made an appointment at our Tennessee fertility center. Before this appointment, they had visited another fertility clinic in Chattanooga, but they didn’t have any success there.
Starting the journey to overcome diminished ovarian reserve
Elizabeth and Johnathan found our Tennessee fertility center after doing a search online. From their first appointment, they knew they were in the right place. According to Elizabeth, “I was really impressed with Dr. Whitworth. She’s very practical and straightforward, but also very compassionate.”
After reviewing the test results from the first clinic and ordering some additional testing, Dr. Whitworth diagnosed Elizabeth with diminished ovarian reserve and Johnathan with a low sperm count due to his auto accident.
Dr. Whitworth talked to the couple about their options and their likelihood of success with each one. However, she strongly recommended egg donation. “She let me know there were other options, but she was honest about their success rates, which I appreciated. While she left it in our hands, we did decide to go with egg donation,” Elizabeth explains.
Pursuing egg donation to welcome a baby
The couple selected “a great donor” and ended up with 21 eggs. 90% of these eggs were viable, which Elizabeth says was “a miracle.” The miracles continued for the couple, as the first genetically tested embryo that Dr. Whitworth transferred resulted in pregnancy. “It was amazing to learn we were pregnant after everything we went through,” Elizabeth recalls. “Until that point, it seemed like everything that could go wrong for us did, but everything turned around.”
Today, Elizabeth and Johnathan are the proud parents of Samuel. “He’s the happiest baby. Everything bad goes away once he starts to smile. I would do it all over again to get him,” Elizabeth says.
The couple is so happy with their experience with Dr. Whitworth that they’re planning to come back in the next six to 12 months for a second transfer using one of their remaining embryos.
The couple shares their advice for other hopeful parents
When it comes to overcoming diminished ovarian reserve, Elizabeth has some advice. “It’s a painful thing to go through, but don’t let it completely break your heart. Take some time to feel a little grief for what could have been and then decide what you want to do next. We had an amazing experience once we decided what we wanted to do.”
Elizabeth also wants other hopeful parents to know that conceiving using donor eggs doesn’t make your child any less yours. “I was worried that going with a donor would make the experience different, but it wasn’t. My baby grew inside me from the very beginning. He’s my son, and I couldn’t love him anymore,” she says.
For those who are anxious to make that first fertility appointment for fear of hearing bad news, Elizabeth says, “Go ahead and make the appointment. The longer you wait, the more difficult your scenario could become for you. Just go and get the facts so that you can start doing something about it. We’re glad we did.”
If you would like to learn how we can help you overcome diminished ovarian reserve and other issues, contact us. With the right diagnosis and treatment, our team can help you become our next fertility success story.
